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Vlad Tenev reveals Michael and Susan Dell funded 25 million children Trump accounts ($6.25B) "Because of the generous gift from Michael and Susan Dell through their foundation, 25 million of those children already had $250 invested for them by the Dell Foundation. So we're excited about this initiative. It's one of those things where it's just been snowballing and we're doing more, so there's just a ton of roadmap ahead." —Sent from a Dell

This commercial is 26 years old featuring the "Dell Guy". In this ad he is being punished by his college professor for talking during class. The lore is strong for A/DELL. —Sent from a Dell

A Poker Champion, a Senator, a President, and a $6.25 Billion Gift. On Dec 2nd, 2025, Michael and Susan Dell announced their $6.25 billion gift to 25 million American children. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes. It has been years in the making. This story puts together a timeline of events of how Poker Champion Phil Hellmuth, Senator Ted Cruz, Investor Brad Gerstner, President Donald Trump, and others helped Michael and Susan Dell make their $6.25B gift a reality. A family discussion helped start the idea 2020–2021—About five years before the announcement Investor Brad Gerstner and his son Lincoln discussed the investment account established for Lincoln at birth. What about children without that advantage? Gerstner proposed an investment account for every American child, with $1,000 from the government at birth. Families, employers, and donors could add money. Michael and Susan Dell learned about the plan 2021—About four years before the announcement Gerstner discussed the idea with the Dells. They supported it years before announcing their gift. The proposal offered children something they could own and watch grow. But it still needed political support and a national system. The team organized, but progress was limited 2023–2024—About two years before the announcement Gerstner established the Invest America Foundation. Matt Lira helped organize support across government, business, and other groups. Gerstner later said they tried to advance the proposal during the Biden administration. Those efforts did not produce the law they wanted. Phil Hellmuth brought the idea to a poker game April 2024—About 600 days before the announcement According to Senator Ted Cruz, poker champion Phil Hellmuth told him about Invest America during a late card game. A few weeks later, Gerstner travelled to Washington to explain the proposal. Cruz became a leading advocate. The poker conversation helped connect an existing idea to a senator who would work to make it law. Michael Dell helped secure presidential support April 2025—About 230 days before the announcement Gerstner later said Dell helped arrange discussions with President Donald Trump. According to Gerstner, Trump supported the proposal and called House Speaker Mike Johnson. He wanted the accounts included in the larger tax and spending bill. The team already had draft legislation. That preparation helped them act when the opportunity arrived. The proposal entered Congress 12 May 2025—204 days before the announcement Cruz introduced the Invest America Act. A version also appeared in the House tax package. Michael Dell publicly supported it. The larger bill gave the account program a route through Congress. Johnson, House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, and Representative Blake Moore helped advance the provisions. Business leaders made their support public 9 June 2025—176 days before the announcement At a White House meeting, Trump credited Michael Dell with bringing the idea to his attention. Dell credited Gerstner with leading the effort. Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon and Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi also participated. That June, Dell Technologies committed to match the government’s $1,000 contribution for qualifying newborn children of U.S. employees. This was separate from the Dells’ later personal gift. The accounts became law 4 July 2025—151 days before the announcement Trump signed the legislation that created Trump Accounts. The federal program would provide $1,000 for eligible children born from 2025 through 2028. Older eligible children could have accounts, but they would miss that federal starting contribution. This gap became central to the Dells’ gift. The participants explained how difficult the goal had been 10 July 2025—145 days before the announcement On a BG2 podcast released that day, Gerstner recalled his assessment from a year earlier. He had put the chance of passing the legislation at about 10%. He also explained a problem for large donors: how could they give billions directly to children under consistent rules? The proposed system would distribute large contributions through Treasury into individual accounts. It could give donors a common route to reach millions of children. Michael and Susan expanded their plan beyond Texas Before 2 December 2025 (Exact discussion dates are not public) The Dells initially discussed a smaller gift focused on Texas. They continued to examine the idea together. Their interest grew, and the amount increased. At the announcement, both described those discussions. Their state plan had developed into a national commitment. The original amount and the dates of those decisions remain private. Senators sought more business support 1 December 2025—One day before the announcement Cruz and Senator Cory Booker signed a letter to Fortune 1000 chief executives. They encouraged companies to contribute through employee benefits, community investment, and philanthropy. Michael and Susan Dell announced $6.25 billion 2 December 2025—DAY 0 Their commitment would provide $250 each for 25 million children. The original plan focused on children aged 10 and under who missed the federal newborn contribution. It targeted ZIP codes with median family income of $150,000 or less. Years of work had created the legal foundation for the gift. Michael and Susan had expanded its scale. Treasury still had to complete important parts of delivery. After the announcement During 2026, Treasury and its financial partners developed the account system. Automatic enrollment later allowed eligible charitable contributions to reach children before their families claimed the accounts. Invest America says the main Dell deposits were complete by 9 October 2026. The wider enrollment also changed the final ZIP code income limit. The Dells say the money is deposited and invested. Separate funds reserved for children in foster care remain under development, with contributions expected in 2027.