President Donald Trump's $1,000 savings accounts for newborns are meeting resistance from some American parents, a number of whom say they would rather forgo the money than see the president's name attached to their children's finances.

Among them is Eloise, a Michigan veteran who told The Atlantic that Trump's record of failed business ventures made her suspicious of the government-sponsored investment program. "Both my husband and I, our first reaction was like, Oh, this is a scam," she said.

After researching the program, Eloise ultimately chose a traditional savings approach for her baby. She said she remained skeptical of the Trump accounts and objected to the branding on moral grounds. "Ultimately it's just like the man's a con man," she said.

The Atlantic's reporting also describes a California mother who declined the payment over concerns about the administration and the potential tax implications, saying she believed it would be "more of a burden than an asset." After her relatives obtained her son's Social Security number, they accessed the boy's account without her knowledge, triggering a family dispute. She described herself as a centrist but objected to the Trump association. "We don't know what can happen to that money Trump is so erratic and clearly corrupt," she said.

The pushback comes as the administration promotes the Trump Accounts as a major economic achievement. Under the program, eligible children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, receive a one-time $1,000 government payment. The funds are invested in US stocks, with parents or guardians managing the accounts until the child turns 18. Families and others may contribute up to $5,000 per year so the investment can grow.

An earlier survey by BabyCenter and InvestmentNews suggested the president's branding could be a liability for the program. Of the pregnant women and new mothers surveyed, 27 percent said they did not intend to open an account. Twelve percent cited opposition to the administration, 14 percent said they preferred a 529 education savings account, and another 20 percent said they did not know what Trump Accounts were. Read together, the numbers point to two distinct obstacles for the program: political objections and low awareness.

The Treasury Department has since moved to automatic enrollment and has created accounts for more than 60 million additional children. Parents will still need to claim the accounts for eligible newborns in order to receive the $1,000 contribution — the step that will determine whether automatic enrollment ultimately translates into families receiving the money.

Trump offered a starkly different assessment at a White House event on Oct. 7 held to celebrate the program. "I have not heard anybody speak badly of it. It's pretty amazing," he said. According to the White House, some 70 million accounts have been created, with automatic enrollment credited with making participation easier and expanding access to the benefits of long-term investing.

Even California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has urged parents to use the accounts regardless of their feelings about Trump. "It's not Trump's money. It your child's money," Newsom said in August.

Still, for parents with no confidence in the president, the offer of free money has done little to change their minds.