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MARIETTA, Ga. 鈥� In his first public school visit since taking office last year, President Donald Trump stopped at an Atlanta-area high school Wednesday to promote his administration鈥檚 effort to kickstart savings accounts for the nation鈥檚 children. 

For decades, he said, Washington politicians gave young people 鈥渘othing but debt,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he government is finally giving money back to our children,鈥� he told the crowd at Wheeler High School in Cobb County, inviting families who have opened accounts to join him on stage with their children.

The event brought together several cabinet members who joined the president in urging families to open Trump Accounts. Before Trump took the stage in the school鈥檚 large gymnasium, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Treasurer Brandon Beach, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Kelly Loeffler, a former Georgia senator who now serves as head of the Small Business Administration, all described the child savings policy as transformational.

McMahon called it 鈥渙ne of the largest generational investments in upward mobility that our country has ever made.鈥�

Under the savings initiative, which went live July 4, the administration will give $1,000 deposits to children born during the president鈥檚 term if their parents open a Trump Account. Over seven million children are already enrolled in the program, Bessent told the crowd.聽

The child savings account program was included in last year鈥檚 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Parents and others can contribute to the tax-deferred account until the child turns 18 and converts it into a traditional individual retirement account. 

Philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell expanded on the government鈥檚 contribution last year when they to provide an extra $250 for 25 million children 10 and under living in ZIP codes with median incomes below $150,000. Other donors have since made contributions, some for specific states. 

Chris Woods, a financial adviser and Cobb district parent, told 蜜桃影视 that he thinks the policy is a wise move.

鈥淭here are a lot of ways to save for children鈥檚 college and their future,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he difference is you鈥檙e getting funds from the government.鈥�

But Eli Speer, a recent high school graduate and Trump supporter, said the program isn鈥檛 鈥渇iscally conservative.鈥�

鈥淲e have to prioritize shaving down the debt, cutting red tape,鈥� he said.

The agreed, calling Trump Accounts a 鈥済overnment welfare program鈥� that further complicates the tax system and might not be a better investment opportunity than existing options. Others question whether the families who would benefit the most from the program are even aware of it. An showed that higher-earning adults and those who already have at least $5,000 in savings were more likely to know about the program.

Bessent, however, pushed back on criticisms that the policy will favor wealthier families. Of the families who have already opened accounts for their kids, he said 86% earn household incomes of $200,000 or less.

鈥淭rump Accounts are reaching the very people they were designed to serve,鈥� he said. 鈥淧resident Trump is creating assets for the American people, not more debt and broken promises.鈥�

Despite the strong turnout Wednesday, Cobb County is not actually 鈥淭rump country,鈥� as several speakers called it. Trump lost Cobb all three times he ran for president. The district, however, is led by a majority Republican board. 

鈥淭he school board is the last bastion of Republican control that Cobb County has,鈥� said Heather Tolley-Bauer, a co-founder of Watching the Funds-Cobb, a watchdog group that this week about whether district resources were being used to support what was in part a political rally. District staff handled several logistics for the event, organizing refreshments and helping with security.

鈥淚t clearly wasn鈥檛 to advocate for public education, our students or to share all that鈥檚 great about our schools,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was to serve the Republican Party.鈥�

Several students also gathered in a Kroger parking lot a few miles away to protest the president coming to one of their high schools.

Some of Trump鈥檚 policies haven鈥檛 been popular at the school, where the majority of students are Black and Hispanic. In late January, Wheeler students were among the hundreds across Cobb County schools who walked out to protest immigration enforcement activities nationwide.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 love the fact that we are using a public school to promote a partisan political agenda,鈥� said Edward Kim, a Wheeler graduate.

Multiple candidates running for statewide office had a chance to make campaign pitches Wednesday.

State Sen. Brian Strickland, candidate for attorney general, said families are relocating to Georgia to leave blue states that supported former President Biden鈥檚 agenda.

鈥淚n November, we have a big decision to make,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to get this right.鈥� 

Trump also told the attendees to vote for Rep. Mike Collins, who didn鈥檛 attend because of votes in Congress. Collins will face Democratic Sen. John Ossoff in November. Ossoff, he said, will 鈥渂ankrupt your families.鈥�

Rick Jackson, GOP candidate for governor also greeted the crowd and joined Trump on the platform. While he touted his expertise as a businessman as the solution to Democrats鈥� 鈥渁ffordability crisis,鈥� he also spoke at length about Trump Accounts.

As someone who grew up in foster care, he applauded first lady Melania Trump鈥檚 initiative, in which states can open accounts for children in foster care.

鈥淭his is more than just an account. It鈥檚 a message,鈥� he said about Trump Accounts. 鈥淵ou are seen, and you are valued.鈥� 

Many attendees said they just wanted a chance to see a sitting president in person. Melissa Moeller, who has two children in Cobb schools, learned about it because her 10^th grader鈥檚 marching band practice was relocated from Wheeler because of the event. 

It didn鈥檛 bother her, however, that the school鈥檚 landscaping was spruced up for the official visit.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing that anyway. With the president coming anywhere, I鈥檓 ok with a little pomp and circumstance,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ill it ever happen again? I don鈥檛 know.鈥�

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