Melania Trump reveals 'the world's biggest untapped economic force' to kick off landmark NYSE summit

First lady Melania Trump touted the outsized role women play in the American and global economies during a keynote speech at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wednesday.

"People still do not fully understand the full scale of women's power in the global economy. Women are not just a part of [the] marketplace, simple participants," she said while speaking at IMPERIA, the first invite-only global summit at the NYSE designed exclusively for female CEOs and executives.

"We are its foundation and we are its infrastructure," she continued.

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Ringing in the morning bell at the exchange, Trump also made the case that women remain a latent asset in the marketplace.

First lady Melania Trump, with Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group, signs the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) guestbook, after ringing the opening bell, Sept. 23, 2026. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

"The world's biggest untapped economic force is not a new market, a breakthrough technology or an undiscovered natural resource. It is women coming together as owners," the first lady said.

She then painted a picture of what the market would look like absent the driving force of female impact.

"Remove women as consumers, investors, leaders, caregivers, innovators and managers of household finances and the modern economy would not work as it does today," she said.

"Remove women from the workforce and we would lose doctors, engineers, bankers, lawyers and millions of other professionals. Remove women from the unseen and ignored economy of care, childcare, running households, home teaching and caring for elderly or sick family members and the support structure that lets others work for pay begins to collapse. Remove women from capital formation and we lose investors, shareholders, asset managers, property owners, retirement savers and those who protect intergenerational wealth," Trump continued.

First lady Melania Trump greets people after ringing the New York Stock Exchange opening bell, Sept. 23, 2026. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

The first lady then closed with a plea for the world, and especially the women present, to invest more in women.

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"Together, we can convert individual success into collective momentum to create new opportunities, support each other's growth and drive lasting economic power. Now is our time to move beyond mentorship and toward ownership. Do not simply advise another woman. Invest in her. Do not merely open a door. Create a real opportunity," she said.

"Turn networks into tangible value capital. Customers, contracts, knowledge and success. Be intentional with your purchases. Invest in one another. Invite another outstanding woman into the boardroom. Help an entry entrepreneur land the first big customer, fund new ideas that should exist," Trump continued.

First lady Melania Trump signs the New York Stock Exchange guestbook, Sept. 23, 2026. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

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"The women here have built companies, created wealth and transformed industries. But imagine that power connected before you depart here today. Begin to work with each other. Let's turn this gathering into meaningful action. Women are on the global economy infrastructure. Now let's use that stronghold to own more of it together," she concluded.