Trump says Americans need to prepare for something the US ‘has never seen.’ How to get ready (and wealthy) in 2026

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President Donald Trump says the U.S. is on the cusp of something “this country has never seen” — and he’s crediting his much-discussed tariff policy.
Speaking at a White House Christmas reception, Trump argued that tariffs are driving a manufacturing revival, pointing to the auto industry as a prime example (1).
“Our car industry … went to Europe, they went to Mexico, Japan — they went all over. They went to South Korea,” Trump said. “And now it’s just the opposite. They’re all coming back. We have an age that’s coming up, the likes of which this country has never seen.”
Trump pointed to Toyota, which recently announced plans to invest up to $10 billion in its U.S. operations over the next five years (2). According to Trump, companies are increasingly choosing to build in the U.S. to avoid tariffs.
“So they’re coming from Germany, they’re coming from Japan, they’re coming from Canada. Many factories are coming in because they don’t want to pay tariffs — very simple. They’re coming in and they’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said.
The result, Trump says, could be a historic economic upswing.
“We have a country that potentially is geared to have the most incredible golden years ever,” he said, adding that when factories open up “by the thousands,” it would mark “the golden age of America.”
To be sure, that manufacturing boom has yet to materialize. According to the Institute for Supply Management, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for the ninth consecutive month in November (3).
Still, Trump insists the turnaround is coming soon.
“You’re going to see results in six months to a year. I think you’ll see results — we’ve never had anything like it,” he said.
While Trump’s tariff policies have drawn criticism, major companies continue to view the U.S. as one of the most dependable places to build and grow. That confidence is showing up in the scale of capital they’re committing — across multiple industries.
For instance, Apple has announced a sweeping $600 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing and workforce training (4). Johnson & Johnson plans to put $55 billion into U.S. manufacturing, research and development and new technologies (5). Hyundai, meanwhile, is investing $26 billion in the U.S. to boost automotive production capacity, localize key components and accelerate work on future industries (6).
Legendary investor Warren Buffett has long pointed to America as a prime destination for building long-term wealth.
“America has been a terrific country for investors. All they have needed to do is sit quietly, listening to no one,” Buffett wrote in his 2023 letter to shareholders (7).
One of the simplest and most accessible ways to invest in America is through the stock market. Buffett has argued that doing so doesn’t require picking individual winners.
“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett has famously stated (8). 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.
If you want to capitalize on this consistency, you could work with SoFi to invest in ETFs like an S&P 500 index fund. You can also pick out individual stocks yourself if you feel confident in making market moves.
The platform is designed to help you learn investing as you go, with real-time investing news, curated content and the data you need to make smart decisions about the stocks that matter most to you. You can even create a personal watch list based on your interests.
This DIY approach allows you to invest with no commission fees in the stocks, index funds or ETFs you believe in. Plus, for a limited time, you can get up to $3,000 in stock when you fund a new account.
Read more: Warren Buffett used 8 solid, repeatable money rules to turn $9,800 into a $150B fortune. Start using them today to get rich (and stay rich)
Beyond stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America — one that 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. High-quality properties can generate rental income, offering a dependable stream of passive cash flow. Real estate can also serve as an inflation hedge, as property values and rents tend to rise alongside the cost of living.
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 (9).”
Buffett has also pointed to real estate as an example of a productive, income-generating asset. 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 (10).
Of course, you don’t need $25 billion — or even to buy a single property outright — to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.
Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.
The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.
Another option is Lightstone DIRECT, which offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.
Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.
Over nearly-four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles — including a 27.5% historical net IRR and a 2.49x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.
With Lightstone DIRECT, you gain access to that proprietary deal flow.
Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With its skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.
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@WhiteHouse (1); Toyota (2); ISM World (3); Apple (4); Johnson & Johnson (5); Hyundai (6); Berkshire Hathaway (7); CNBC (8; 10); @Forbes (9)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.