Jul 9, 2026
Elon Musk’s second-in-command has donated one share of SpaceX to more than 2 million children — a gift President Donald Trump said is worth $325 million.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell did not disclose the monetary value of the donation on Monday when she announced it on X; instead saying she and her husband would “gift a share of our SpaceX stock to a Trump Account for each of more than two million children across our great nation.”
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The company closed on Wednesday at $148 per share, making the gift worth about $296 million, less than what it was worth when the donation was first announced.
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Still, Trump is praising the move.
“Thank you to the brilliant and highly respected Gwynne Shotwell, and her husband, Robert, for their extreme generosity in helping children to attain the ever magnificent American dream!” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social on Thursday.
Shotwell, who has been SpaceX’s president since 2008, says her family’s gift will specifically go to the accounts of children between the ages of 11 to 17 who live in lower-income areas, with a bit more emphasis on children living near her Texas home.
Donations to Trump’s Accounts
The donation now makes Shotwell one of the largest known individual contributors to Trump Accounts. The move comes after Trump said he expects Musk, the world’s richest man, to donate SpaceX stock to the program. Neither the President nor Musk has confirmed whether this has happened.
Billionaire Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies, and his wife have also donated $6.25 billion to Trump Accounts.
More than 6 million Trump Accounts have been opened for children under 18. Of those, 1.4 million have received a $1,000 federal contribution for newborns. The tax-deferred savings accounts are meant to help families start building wealth for their children early in life through tax-advantaged investing.
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What will this gift mean long-term?
How much Shotwell and her husband’s gift will be worth long-term is unclear. The value of the SpaceX share will depend on the company’s revenue growth, profitability and overall investor sentiment.
Musk has said he expects SpaceX’s revenue to reach $1 trillion by 2031, though Goldman Sachs predicts it to be $470 billion and Morgan Stanley, $330 billion, respectively, by 2030.
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Since the historic launch of its IPO at $135 per share, the stock has fluctuated, hitting an all-time low on Wednesday of $145.20, well below its high of $225.60 per share.
A simple way to think about where the stock could go — and how much Shotwell’s gift could be worth — is by breaking down possible scenarios for growth.
Let’s say a 13-year-old has just gained a share of SpaceX at the current price of roughly $150. Under a conservative outlook of a 10% annual return, that stock would be worth $240 in 5 year’s time when they are 18 years old. If we take a very bullish outlook and anticipate an annual return of 40%, the share will be worth $810. If you’re much more conservative and persuaded by those analysts who are concerned that SpaceX is highly overvalued, imagine a return equivalent to what the S&P 500 has earned over the last five years, adjusted for inflation. That’s a return rate of a little over 7%, and a final share value, in real terms, of $213.
Estimates on Wall Street have varied from more conservative bets to bullish calls. While a single share may not be life-changing on its own, the donation gives millions of children an early stake in one of the world’s most closely watched companies. Whether that investment grows into a few hundred dollars or substantially more will depend on SpaceX’s performance over the coming years.
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Rinna Diamantakos is an assigning editor at Moneywise.com. A versatile journalist, she has experience as a writer, editor and producer. Her work has focused on politics, business and financial news.
