California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared a post celebrating that 1 million CalKIDS accounts have been claimed by parents in the state, with $82 million already distributed for college and career training. According to the post, the program offers tax-free baby bond accounts to help children achieve their dreams. Online users reacted after the announcement, with many critics accusing Newsom of copying the idea behind Trump Accounts.
The clip shows Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom seated and speaking about the program, intercut with scenes of them interacting with families and children at an event featuring an “Investing in California’s Kids” banner. In the video, they state: “One million California kids have claimed their CalKIDS account. First-in-the-nation CalKIDS account. These are the baby bonds; these are the accounts that you get when you get into kindergarten or first grade, up to $1,500 to offset the cost of college or a career. 4.5 million California kids can still claim their accounts, so claim your CalKIDS account today.” The footage ends with the CalKIDS logo and website.
According to the accompanying post text, the announcement marks 1 million accounts claimed, with $82 million already distributed for college and career training, and encourages parents to claim a tax-free baby bond account at CalKIDS.org. The video does not show the process of claiming accounts or details of individual distributions.
Viewers React to Newsom’s 1 Million CalKIDS Milestone
Some users accused Newsom of copying a similar program, with one writing, “Lmao Gavin Newsom literally just copied Trump accounts. Calkidsprogram is just another version of trump accounts,” and another stating, “Another Trump action stolen by the dullard, Gavin Newsom.”
A different commenter noted, “CalKIDS predates Trump Accounts, so I’m not going to pretend you copied him,” while suggesting the two programs share common ground.
Other viewers focused on funding and ownership of the accounts, with one saying, “The reason the Newsom family is celebrating is that ALL the money in each CalKids account belongs to the state, not our kids. Seems like another Gavin scam to me,” and another adding, “It’s not your money… taxpayer-funded.”
Newsom’s announcement has joined a wider online conversation comparing California’s CalKIDS program with similar national investment account initiatives.
