Trump opens door to Bitcoin in Trump Accounts, cites $17B reserve

President Donald Trump said Bitcoin could one day play a role in the new Trump Accounts savings program, telling reporters that "something could happen" when asked whether the accounts might hold the cryptocurrency.

Trump made the comments Monday during an Oval Office ceremony marking the launch of Trump Accounts, where he rang the opening bells for both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq — a first-of-its-kind joint bell-ringing from the White House. He was joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins, and technology executive Michael Dell and his wife Susan, who pledged more than $6 billion to supplement the accounts.

The program, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed in 2025, deposited $1,000 seed contributions into accounts for more than 500,000 children on July 4. Families can contribute up to $5,000 a year per child, and employers may contribute an additional $2,500 annually per employee. Funds are locked until age 18, when the account converts to a traditional individual retirement account administered by Fidelity Investments.

Pressed on whether there were plans to add Bitcoin, Trump did not commit to a timeline but described his shift toward digital assets. "If we don't have it, China is going to have it," he said, adding that the U.S. now leads in crypto. The remarks follow his March 2025 executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which directed that more than 207,000 Bitcoin held through forfeiture — valued near $17 billion at the time — be retained rather than sold.

Trump credited the sector's scale and voter appeal for drawing him in. "I realized there are a lot of people love crypto and even me as a businessman, I'd see a lot of money starting to come in with Bitcoin," he said. His administration has eased Biden-era enforcement at the Justice Department and SEC and rolled back restrictions on banks' crypto activities. In July 2025, he signed the GENIUS Act, the first major federal crypto law, setting a framework for payment stablecoins. A broader market-structure bill, the CLARITY Act, remains in Congress.

The Trump Accounts, referred to in Treasury guidance as 530A accounts, are tax-advantaged investment accounts open to any child under 18. Only children born between 2025 and 2028 qualify for the $1,000 government seed payment, though other accounts may receive contributions from philanthropists. The Dells pledged $250 for the first 25 million applicants aged 10 and under, totaling $6.25 billion. Parents can open accounts by filing IRS Form 4547 online at trumpaccounts.gov.

If Bitcoin were added as an investment option within the accounts, it would mark a significant expansion of the cryptocurrency's role in mainstream American finance, potentially exposing millions of new investors to digital assets through a government-backed savings vehicle.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.