Moore Commends Trump’s New Child Investment Initiative
Moore praises Trump Accounts – Maryland Governor Wes Moore has publicly endorsed the Trump administration’s recently introduced investment accounts for children, describing the initiative as genuinely intelligent policy. Despite being a regular critic of the current president, Moore acknowledged that this particular achievement deserves recognition.
“I will give this administration credit for this. … We’ve had Democratic presidents, the Republican presidents, who have not been able to get this done, and it actually got done,” Moore stated during a recent appearance on “The Clay Cane Show,” which was released on Tuesday.
The governor, who frequently voices opposition to Trump’s approach, emphasized his approval of the program. “This is actually a smart policy,” he remarked, highlighting the bipartisan nature of the accomplishment.
Program Details and Early Success
The initiative, officially known as Trump Accounts, went live on Independence Day, July 4. Eligibility extends to any American child holding a Social Security number who has not yet reached their eighteenth birthday. To celebrate the rollout, the president personally rang the opening bells at both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq on Monday.
“The parents can’t even believe it’s happening,” Trump commented. “It’s an amazing thing.”
According to Treasury Department figures shared on Thursday, participation has been robust, with over six million families registering to establish accounts for their children. These accounts were established through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, legislation that the president enacted into law the previous July.
Contributions from family members, friends, and other adults can reach $5,000 per year. This ceiling will adjust upward alongside inflation beginning in 2028. Additionally, the Treasury Department announced a special incentive for children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028: a one-time $1,000 deposit. Corporate involvement is also growing, with more than fifty companies pledging contributions toward their employees’ children’s accounts, as noted on Saturday.
Connection to Baby Bonds Concept
During his Tuesday appearance, Moore drew parallels between the new accounts and the baby bonds framework. Economists Darrick Hamilton and William Darity originally introduced this concept in 2010 as a mechanism to narrow the racial wealth disparity. Their model envisioned government deposits into interest-bearing accounts for every newborn in the United States, with supplementary contributions made throughout the child’s development.
Under this system, the largest government deposits would go to children from the lowest-wealth households. When these children reach adulthood at age eighteen, they could deploy their accumulated funds toward wealth-building opportunities—purchasing a home, pursuing higher education, or launching a small business, according to a December Brookings Institution analysis.
“One of the fastest ways that you can address both the … child poverty [issue] and the racial wealth gap is actually baby bonds,” Moore explained. “By giving children a chance to be able to have something that can grow and grow in maturity, that can then give them an opportunity to have a measure of economic mobility — and sustainable economic mobility.”
However, the Brookings report pointed out a distinction: baby bonds “directly address wealth inequality,” whereas Trump Accounts operate differently in this regard.
Corporate Support and Moore’s Final Thought
Significant corporate backing has emerged as well. In December, Michael and Susan Dell committed $6.25 billion toward accounts for up to 25 million children aged ten and younger residing in qualifying zip codes. Each eligible child would receive $250, provided they were born before January 1, 2025.
Ultimately, Moore identified only one minor concern with the program. “I hate the fact that he called it Trump Accounts,” he said, laughing. “I mean … why he put his name on this thing is so unbelievably frustrating, and he’s put his name on everything. But that’s just who the man is, and that’s who he’s been his whole life.”
