Musk Promised Every American Kid a SpaceX Share. Put It in the Trump Accounts Washington Already Built
On Oct. 19, Elon Musk pledged one SpaceX share to every kid in America next year — a gift CNBC values at about $10.5 billion. In our view, Musk should use the stock-gift route Treasury has already written into Trump Accounts rules, and spell out who qualifies and when.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 19, 2026 | 7-min read Before dawn on the East Coast on Monday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk made a promise no welfare program ever has: "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America. This will be the first of many" [1]. One share is not a fortune. But a share is ownership, and ownership is how working families build wealth. In our view, the smartest thing Washington can do now is make it easy for that gift, and every gift like it, to land in the Trump Accounts the government has already opened for America's children. Key Takeaways Elon Musk posted on X on Oct. 19 that next year he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America, calling it "the first of many" [1]. CNBC estimated the gift at about $10.5 billion, based on roughly 72 million U.S. children under 18 and SpaceX's Friday close of $146.03; Musk gave no details on how it would work [2]. Axios reported that Musk did not say whether "kid" means every minor or only citizens, and noted the pledge would be nearly double Michael Dell's record Trump Accounts gift [3][4]. Trump Accounts, created by the Working Families Tax Cut, can take contributions from charities and state, local and tribal governments that do not count against the $5,000 annual contribution limit [5]. SEC staff say