Newsom Praises Trump Accounts, Urges Californians to Claim

Newsom framed the accounts as money that belongs to children, not to a politician. "We're here to encourage people to take advantage of this, to not fall prey to the politics or the cynicism, or maybe even the fear that 'if I download a Trump Account, somehow that means something,'" he said, per EdSource. "It doesn't. It just means something for your kid. It's not Trump's money; it's your child's money."

He spread the credit around. "It's one of the best things he's done. It's one of the best things Ted Cruz has done. It's one of the best things Corey Booker has done — they were out there promoting it," the governor said, as quoted by the New York Post. He added: "This was one of the really outstanding things this administration has done. They deserve a lot of credit and I hope people get the benefit of this program and don't look at the politics of it."

Brad Gerstner, founder and chairman of Invest America, said in a statement released by the governor's office that "every child should have the chance to build an ownership stake in their future," and that California companies and philanthropists have "committed billions of dollars to Trump Accounts."

California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, who chairs the ScholarShare Investment Board, called the one million claimed CalKIDS accounts "an extraordinary milestone" and said the work continues "until every eligible student has claimed the scholarship available to them."

Right-leaning outlets seized on the moment. Newsmax and BizPac Review both led on the Democratic governor's enthusiasm for a Trump-branded program; the New York Times called him "an unlikely endorser."