President of NYSE Group and Chair of ICE Fixed Income & Data Services, Intercontinental Exchange Inc
FULL SPEECHES: Melania Trump, ICE CEO Jeffrey,NYSE President Martin Speak at Wall Street Event |AF1E
FULL SPEECHES: First Lady Melania Trump joins Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher and NYSE President Lynn Martin at the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the global launch of her film Melania. Speaking on storytelling, culture, free markets, and American values, Trump highlights how “stories move markets,” while NYSE leaders praise her philanthropy, business leadership, and public service. Watch the historic Wall Street ceremony, special honors, and bell-ringing moments. For more details, watch our story and subscribe to our channel, DWS News.
Melania Trump, First Lady Melania Trump...
About Lynn Martin
Lynn Martin, President of the NYSE Group, discussed the role of public markets in funding AI and other technological revolutions, stating that "the public markets are the only markets to generate the type of capital for the medium to long term on a consistent basis that is required for every revolution." She added that a healthy public market requires a healthy private market, as private incubation stages feed into public offerings. Martin also commented on the Trump administration's investment accounts for young people, saying they are "great from two perspectives," promoting financial literacy and creating a generation with "a stake in America." Martin questioned rule changes made by the Nasdaq to attract a listing from SpaceX, saying that "market integrity is not something that is a competitive dynamic" and that some of the rules are "questionable." She emphasized that protecting investors, particularly retail investors, is the NYSE's priority. Martin noted that the NYSE has seen a strong year for IPOs across multiple sectors, including industrials, energy, and consumer names, and that the exchange has "no intention of leaving New York City."
Transcript (6 segments)
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Jeff Sprecher0:03
Good morning everybody. It's my honor to welcome you here to the New York Stock Exchange. As the voice of God mentioned, I'm Jeff Sprecher and my company owns 13 of the world's great exchanges and I'm honored to be at this one. You're here, for those that are here for the first time, you're here at 11 Wall Street. And Wall Street, the term Wall Street became synonymous with what we do in this building every day around the world and partly why we refer to the capital markets as Wall Street is because we're here but also on this corner, kitty corner to this building was the nation's first capital and George Washington was sworn in on the street on the corner next to this building. And as we were starting our republic about 250 years ago, the first Congress met in that building and started to work on the Bill of Rights. And in front of the building on this side of the corner, there was a tree called the Buttonwood Tree. And underneath the Buttonwood tree, 24 brokers got together and began to raise the money to pay for the Congress and also to build the infrastructure that today powers what you saw on that screen. So the term Wall Street is really the intersection, truly the intersection of a democracy that was formed with capitalism. And so we're going to celebrate that here today with the bell ringing. And if you think about the people that were on the street across the street that were building our society 250 years ago, they were entrepreneurs and business people that came to contribute. They were people that wanted to become public servants. They were philanthropists that decided they wanted to donate part of their lives to building this great country. And so today, the first lady is here and I will tell you that she's been here on numerous occasions. And if you ask why, why has she been in this building, she's actually been here as a philanthropist. She's been here as a businesswoman and she's been here as a public servant. And so as we celebrate the birth of our country, she embodies what people 250 years ago had hoped would survive in this building on this very corner. One other thing about her visits here, my colleague Courtney is over here. She's a professional photographer that's on the staff of the New York Stock Exchange. And so one of the things she's going to do today is take dozens and dozens of photographs. And we have in our archives dozens of photographs of the first lady. And I've seen most of them. And I can tell you that in every photograph, every photograph you see a person who's happy, you see a person who's engaged, you see a person who's intentional, and you see a woman who is incredibly lovely. And I'm sure the makers of the film, you know, Brett and Ellen and Mark and the cinematographers in every scene see the same thing that we see in every photo that we've ever taken of the first lady. And I'm going to have an opportunity to see the movie on Thursday. Like many of you are looking forward to seeing it. I'm absolutely confident given our experience with the first lady that the movie is going to be absolutely beautiful. So, let me turn the podium over to Lynn Martin, who's the president of the New York Stock Exchange and who actually runs this company and runs this building, to introduce the first lady.
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Lynn Martin4:06
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to 11 Wall Street. At times, the universe places people in extraordinary circumstances. Circumstances you could never imagine growing up in and circumstances where there is no set playbook, only choices to make. Now, for a select few, they view this as an opportunity. And in even rarer cases, some use this as a moment to leverage the championing of a cause that they hold dear, to use the moment and the platform to make the world a better place. That is what the movie Melania showcases. A woman who embodies strength, grace, and warmth to redefine what it means to be the first lady of the United States of America. After having the privilege of seeing the film, I was struck by this portrait of a woman who is reinventing the role of first lady of the United States of America. Someone who is showing the world that you could be a businesswoman and an entrepreneur while still being a mother and a wife. Melania was not only the mastermind behind curating a variety of events that led up to the inauguration of our 47th president. At the same time, she was operating businesses that focus on protecting those most important and most vulnerable in our society, those being children. The latter was what struck me the most. It became clear to me while watching the film just how grounded our first lady is in love, not just of country, but of family. I was unaware at how much that love of family is her guiding source of inspiration to make the world a better place for children around the globe and to give them a voice. And while that may have been clear to some during the Be Best initiative, I was unaware of just how much she continued to invest in this platform following President Trump's first term. Since her and her family's return to the White House, Melania has continued to advance several initiatives focused on the causes she is most passionate about. And it's remarkable in what she has achieved in just one year of returning to Washington. As an example, in November of 2025, Melania launched the Fostering the Future to support children in foster care, which secured $25 million in federal funding for housing support. And as the mother of two who are just about to embark upon their own digital journeys, I could not be more grateful to the work that Melania is doing to protect children online, championing the Take It Down Act to address online exploitation, as well as her continued advancement of AI education for children in the White House. Melania, it has been inspiring to see this 20-day peek into your life. You exhibit the unique intersection of clearheaded drive, warmth, grace, and unwavering dedication not just to this country, but to the youth of the world. As a mother, I am both humbled and grateful to be with you today. And now it is my great honor to officially introduce the first lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump, to our stage.
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Melania Trump8:41
Thank you. Good morning. It's an honor to be on Wall Street in the New York Stock Exchange just two days before the global launch of my new film, Melania. Thank you for having me today, Jeff, Lynn, and of course the CEOs from America's great corporations. Superior storytelling drives culture and in turn moves markets. In the near future, cultural influence will matter as much as economic power. Our ability to tell our stories and emotionally connect with audiences is paramount. People long to be moved. We need stories that inspire dreams, offer hope, tales of redemption, sad stories, love stories, and funny stories. We want to feel human. My new film, Melania, provides a window into an important period for America, the 47th presidential inauguration. For the first time in history, people will witness the 20 days leading up to the inauguration through the eyes of an incoming first lady. Visual storytelling and beautiful music create memories for a lifetime. What do you remember when you hear Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson? Films bring families and friends together, sitting side by side, sharing a collective moment. In doing so, they will not simply watch my film. They will participate in a great American tradition and become part of our nation's history. Thank you for joining me on this historic morning and enjoy the film. Thank you.
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Lynn Martin11:05
So, Madame First Lady, we have a variety of traditions at the New York Stock Exchange. The first tradition that we have is every morning we strike a medallion for our bell ringers. It is my honor to present you with this morning's medallion. On the front of the medallion are our six pillars which stand for a variety of things, but importantly they stand for access to free markets around the globe and the concept of freedom which I know you fight for every single day. And on the back is the buttonwood tree. As Jeff mentioned, we were founded under a buttonwood tree on the corner of Wall and Broad. It reminds us of our commitment to fair and transparent markets. It's my honor to present you with this. Thank you. Beautiful. And then I will take this walk. And then we have a bit of a different tradition. We have never done this before. It is my honor to present you with this engraved plate which commemorates your time with us today and congratulates you on the launch of your film. Congratulations.
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Melania Trump12:24
Thank you so much.
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Lynn Martin12:37
Okay. And then for everyone in the room, we have our challenge coin which you will pick up on your way down as we head down to perform our celebration of everything that is great in this country and that is the capital markets. So shall we all head down to do this? All right, let's do this. Thank you all. We will meet you downstairs. Thank you everyone.