Trump says US stocks will surge 100% in ‘relatively short period of time,’ calls recent dip ‘peanuts.’ How to bet big on America in 2026

“We’re going to hit 50,000 and that stock market’s going to double in a relatively short period of time,” he added, referencing the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

With the Dow hovering near 49,400 at the time of writing, the first leg of Trump’s forecast is already within striking distance.

Of course, markets don’t move in straight lines — even during powerful uptrends, pullbacks are part of the picture.

That was on display earlier this week, when stocks sold off after Trump’s tough rhetoric around Greenland reignited tensions with Europe. The S&P 500 closed down 2.1% on January 20, its worst single-day performance since October (2).

Trump, however, brushed aside the decline.

“Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland,” Trump said, apparently mixing up Iceland and Greenland (1). “So Iceland’s already cost us a lot of money. But that dip is peanuts compared to what it’s gone up.”

In context, the broader market has indeed gone up substantially. The S&P 500 returned about 16% in 2025 and is up roughly 80% over the past five years.

If you share this optimism, here’s a look at a few simple ways to position yourself for America’s growth in 2026 — and beyond.

‘The best thing to do,’ according to Warren Buffett

Long-term exposure to the growth of American businesses through the stock market has created enormous wealth over time. Trump isn’t alone in expressing confidence in that trajectory.

As investing legend Warren Buffett wrote in 2017, “American business – and consequently a basket of stocks – is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead (3).”

And crucially, investors don’t need to be expert stock pickers to participate.

“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett has famously stated (4). This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.

The beauty of this approach is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. Even small amounts can grow over time with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.

Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: Link your cards and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio.

With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today with a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey. That way you can take advantage of America’s best.

For investors interested in individual stocks, platforms like Moby aim to simplify the process. 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.

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.

Bet on American innovation

Public markets show just one side of how wealth is created. Many of the biggest and most successful tech companies remain privately held for years, growing behind the scenes and building incredible value long before the IPO bell is rung.

Venture capital is where the early bets on future giants are placed. But, for decades, venture capital has been one of the few remaining tables in finance where retail investors can’t get a seat.

Fundrise finally disrupted that dynamic a few years ago by launching a venture capital product with two goals. One: Build a portfolio of the most valuable private tech companies in the world. Two: Make it available to as many people as possible, with investments starting at just $10.

Today, Fundrise manages billions of dollars in private market assets and their venture capital product is designed specifically for investors who want to get in early on transformative technologies like AI.

Check out their venture portfolio today and start investing in minutes.

The asset that made Trump rich

Beyond equities, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in the U.S. — an area Trump himself knows well.

Before politics, Trump made his fortune in real estate — and the asset class remains a powerful tool for building and preserving wealth, especially during inflationary times. That’s because property values and rental income tend to rise along with the cost of living.

Unlike some other investments, real estate doesn’t need a roaring stock market to deliver returns. Even during downturns, high-quality properties can generate rental income — offering a dependable stream of passive cash flow.

As Trump told Steve Forbes back in 2011, “I just notice that when you have that right piece of property, whatever it might be, including location, it tends to work well in good times and in bad times (5).”

Today, you don’t need to buy a property outright to benefit from real estate investing. Lightstone DIRECT, for instance, offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.