During his “Invest America Roundtable” on Monday, Donald Trump took aim at climate activist Greta Thunberg, suggesting that she should “go to anger management class”. He criticised her recent voyage to Israel when he was questioned by a journalist.

“Mr. President, do you have a message for Greta Thunberg, and did she come up on your call with the prime minister today?” asked the reporter, alluding to Trump’s earlier conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In response, Trump expressed his view of Thunberg: “Well, she’s a strange person. She’s a young, angry person. I don’t know if it’s real anger – it’s hard to believe, actually,” Trump observed, adding, “I saw what happened. She’s certainly different.”

He then opined that Thunberg could benefit from anger management.

“Anger management – I think she has to go to an anger management class. That’s my primary recommendation for her,” he declared. The reporter persisted, inquiring about Thunberg’s allegations of being kidnapped by Israel while aboard the Madleen, which was intercepted by Israeli forces as it entered Israeli waters.

“Was she kidnapped by Israel, as she says?” they pressed. Dismissing this accusation, Trump said, “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,” and questioned, “Is that what she said? She was kidnapped by Israel?” while shaking his head, reports the Mirror US.

Thunberg, along with 11 other global activists, embarked on a journey from Sicily last week, aiming to breach Israel’s blockade around Gaza to deliver aid. However, their vessel was forcefully seized by Israeli commandos on Monday morning, and the activists were taken into custody.

They were transported to an Israeli port nearly 20 hours later and have reportedly been unreachable since their arrest. Thunberg has accused Israel of kidnapping her.

These remarks surfaced as the president hosted his first “Invest America Roundtable” event at the White House, attended by the CEOs of several prominent American corporations. The gathering was organised to announce the investment of billions of dollars into so-called Trump accounts for the children of their employees, according to a White House spokesperson cited by CNBC.

The CEOs of Uber, Dell, Goldman Sachs and several other high-profile companies were anticipated to make the announcement jointly with Trump on Monday. The executives are also expected to make pledges during the roundtable, the publication reported.

As part of a provision in the substantial Republican-backed “big, beautiful bill,” the government is depositing $1,000 into investment accounts for newborn Americans. This initiative will not only benefit the employees of the aforementioned companies – which the event is celebrating – but also every U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2029.

The proposed legislation will only come into effect if it is passed, but companies are already taking action. The government’s $1,000 investment under the bill would be placed in an index fund account that mirrors the overall stock market, with control and ownership resting with the child’s guardians, as reported by NBC News.

Additional annual contributions of up to $5,000 are permitted, and the funds will become available from the age of 18 for educational purposes, property purchases or business start-up costs.

The Trump administration has been pushing hard for the president’s flagship domestic policy legislation, which also includes an extension of expiring tax cuts and funding for immigration enforcement.

The president is aiming to have the bill approved by the Senate by the Fourth of July, despite criticism over its spending and deficit implications from politicians across the political spectrum and financial experts.

Tech tycoon and former close Trump adviser Elon Musk has also criticised the bill, leading to a significant falling out between the two, culminating in a fiery social media spat last week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La. ) has been lobbying both Republicans and Democrats in an effort to secure support for the bill, and he has publicly criticised Musk for his negative comments about the bill, claiming they are undermining his efforts to get it passed.

“I didn’t go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,” he stated, addressing Musk’s critiques in a candid ABC News interview on Sunday. “What we’re trying to do is help hardworking families who are trying to make ends meet.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the legislation in a statement to NBC News, saying, “The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill will literally change the lives of working, middle class families across America by delivering the largest tax cuts in history, increasing the child tax credit, and by creating this incredible new ‘Trump Account’ program, which will put the lives of young Americans on the right financial path.”

According to CNBC, the upcoming pilot programme with the CEOs on Monday bears a resemblance to existing savings account options like the 529 college savings plans, notable for their more generous contribution limits.

Some financial advisors have raised doubts about the Trump accounts, suggesting that they might not offer the most attractive investment benefits.