Author: Niu Zhanlin; Source: Cailianshe Silicon Valley NEWS
On February 3rd, local time, US President Trump signed an executive order instructing government officials to establish a sovereign wealth fund. It is still unclear how the fund will operate and how it will be financed.
When Trump announced the move at the White House that day, he said that the United States has "huge potential" and has appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick to lead the preparation of the sovereign wealth fund.
During the campaign, Trump proposed to follow the sovereign wealth fund model of Norway, Saudi Arabia and other countries to convert national resources (such as energy income) into long-term investment capital.
Bessant pointed out that the sovereign wealth fund will be established within the next 12 months and called it an issue of "great strategic significance."
The text of the executive order signed by Trump has not been made public, and it is unclear where the funds for the fund will come from. Trump has promised to establish "the world's largest sovereign wealth fund."
Last September, Trump first proposed this idea in a speech at the New York Economic Club, which is to inject tariff revenue into a sovereign wealth fund to invest in manufacturing centers, defense and medical research.
Trump said at the time: "We will create America's own sovereign wealth fund and benefit all Americans." He then mentioned that Wall Street and business leaders can play a role in helping "provide investment advice."
Sovereign wealth funds are usually found in countries with large foreign exchange reserves or commodity income, such as Norway and Saudi Arabia, and invest in various fields from stocks and bonds to infrastructure and technology.
The current world's largest sovereign wealth fund is the Norwegian Government Pension Fund (about $1.8 trillion). If Trump wants to surpass it, he needs at least $1 trillion in initial funds. But the United States lacks stable natural resource income like Norway, and it is almost impossible to achieve it in the short term.
In reality, the United States does not have a sovereign wealth fund at the federal level, but 20 states have similar funds, which are funded by energy or land revenue, such as the Alaska Permanent Fund and the North Dakota Heritage Fund. If Trump's proposal is realized, it will be the first attempt by the United States to establish a national sovereign fund.
It is worth noting that some people speculate that the sovereign wealth fund is prepared to establish Bitcoin reserves, and some analysts believe that Trump will use these funds to buy Greenland.