President Donald Trump is using World Trade Week to declare victory over what he calls decades of American “economic surrender.”
In a May 19 presidential message, Trump said America built “the world’s most powerful economy” through its industries, innovators and workforce — but argued that foreign competitors were later allowed to flood U.S. markets with cheap imports while blocking American producers abroad.
“For decades, gutless politicians handed away our prosperity in the name of free trade—undercutting our workers, hollowing out our factories, and weakening the industries that made our Nation great,” Trump said.
The president said that era is now over.
“Under my leadership, the days of economic surrender are over,” he said, adding that his administration has used tariffs to fight what it sees as unfair trade practices, “reclaim” America’s wealth, secure “trillions of dollars in manufacturing investments,” shrink the trade deficit and bring production back to U.S. shores.
It’s a sweeping argument — and one that fits Trump’s broader pitch that tariffs, trade deals and domestic investment can revive U.S. industry. The numbers offer some support for his claims on trade, though the picture is complicated.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. goods and services trade deficit fell by $211.2 billion, or 55%, year-to-date through March compared with the same period in 2025. Exports rose 12%, while imports fell 9.1%.
On the investment side, the White House has been touting a long list of private and foreign investment announcements in U.S. manufacturing, technology, infrastructure, energy and pharmaceuticals. Its tracker lists major pledges from companies including $600 billion from Meta (NASDAQ:META), $600 billion from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), $503 billion from Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), $57 billion from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), $20 billion from Ford (NYSE:F), along with foreign investment commitments from countries including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan and India.
Of course, announced investments don’t always turn into factories overnight. Trade deficits can also move around month to month, and tariffs can raise costs for companies and consumers along the way. On a practical level, industrial leases for warehouses last between five and 10 years on average. This means that a business reshoring its operations to the U.S. likely needs some confidence that Trump’s policies will not only work, but be supported at least somewhat by successive administrations.
However, Trump’s message is clear: He believes America is entering a new chapter — one built around domestic production, stronger supply chains and a more aggressive approach to global trade.
For investors, the question is whether that comeback has legs — and how to position their portfolio if it doesn’t go according to plan.
Bet on American businesses
If Trump is right that production is returning to U.S. shores, the most straightforward way to participate may be through the stock market.
After all, many of the companies driving America’s economy — from technology and manufacturing to energy, finance and consumer goods — are publicly traded. If stronger trade policy, reshoring and new capital investment help boost U.S. corporate earnings over time, everyday investors could benefit from owning a piece of that growth.
Today, access to the stock market is easier than ever, but for many people, the hardest part of investing isn’t getting started — it’s staying consistent.
Automating your contributions is one of the simplest ways to build momentum. When your investments go in automatically with each paycheck, your portfolio works in the background without you having to think about it.
Platforms like Stash make this incredibly straightforward.
With over 1 million active subscribers and more than $5 billion in assets under management, the intuitive app lets you set daily, weekly, or monthly recurring investments that actually match your cash flow.
You can build a diversified portfolio in just a few clicks using its award-winning Smart Portfolio, which adjusts your investment mix based on your goals and risk level. Prefer a more hands-on approach? You can also choose your own stocks and ETFs, or mix both depending on your comfort level.
And if you’re looking to take your long-term strategy a step further, a Stash+ subscription offers 3% IRA matching, that can give your contributions a meaningful boost over time.
You can set up a recurring deposit in just a few minutes and let your portfolio work for you on autopilot.
Plus, you can get a $25 bonus investment when you fund a new Stash account with $5, plus a 3-month trial to explore the platform.*
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Of course, not all stocks are created equal. Some investors may want to look beyond broad market exposure and identify specific companies that could benefit from the next phase of America’s comeback.
That’s where research tools like Moby can come in handy. Their team of former hedge fund analysts does the heavy lifting — breaking down the market, flagging quality stocks, and making the research easy to digest. Under the right circumstances, Moby can take you beyond the big names and potentially guide you towards emerging prospects.
In fact, across nearly 400 stock picks over the past four years, Moby’s recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average. Their research keeps you up-to-the-minute on market shifts and takes the guesswork out of choosing investments.
Plus, their reports are easy to understand for beginners, so you can become a smarter investor in just five minutes.
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Build income beyond Wall Street
Aside from stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America — from the American dream of homeownership to passive income generation.
In fact, investing legend Warren Buffett has pointed to real estate when explaining what a productive, income-generating asset looks like. In 2022, Buffett stated that if you offered him “1% of all the apartment houses in the country” for $25 billion, he would “write you a check.”
Why? Because regardless of what’s happening in the broader economy, people still need a place to live, and apartments can consistently produce rent money.
Real estate also offers a built-in hedge against inflation. When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.
Of course, you don’t need $25 billion — or even to buy a single property outright — to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.
Mogul is a real estate investment platform offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.
Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.
You can sign up for an account and then browse available properties here.
Keep a hedge in place
Trump is pitching a comeback, but investors might not want to assume everything will go smoothly.
Trade wars can be unpredictable. Tariffs can pressure margins, raise prices and invite retaliation from other countries. Even if the long-term goal is to strengthen American industry, the short-term path can involve volatility, as seen in the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate Trump’s landmark “reciprocal” tariffs in February — not to mention the initial April 2025 stock market dip.
And trade isn’t the only risk hanging over markets. The U.S. is also in a military conflict with Iran, while disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have added fresh pressure to global energy markets — raising concerns that inflation could come roaring back in America.
That’s where diversification comes in.
Gold has long been viewed as a hedge during periods of economic uncertainty, inflation, geopolitical tension and market stress. It doesn’t depend on corporate profits or the success of any one administration’s policy agenda. It also can’t be printed out of thin air by central banks the way fiat currencies can.
That can make it an appealing addition for investors who want exposure to the American comeback story, but don’t want their entire financial future depending on it.
Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, told CNBC last year that “people don’t have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” adding, “when bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”
Despite a recent pullback, gold prices have surged by more than 35% over the last 12 months.
One way to invest in gold that can also provide significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Goldco.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it a compelling potential option for those wanting to ensure their retirement funds are diversified during rough economic times.
Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Plus, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver.
If you’re curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today.
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Jing is an investment reporter for Moneywise. He is an avid advocate of investing for passive income. Despite the ups and downs he’s been through with the markets, Jing believes that you can generate a steadily increasing income stream by investing in high quality companies.
