President Donald Trump said his administration is seriously studying Australia’s retirement system as a potential model for improving retirement security in the United States, highlighting both its strengths and the hurdles to implementing a similar structure domestically.

Speaking at a December event where a record philanthropic contribution to ‘‘Trump Accounts’’ for American children was announced, the president described the Australian ‘‘superannuation’’ system as ‘‘a good plan’’ that ‘‘has worked out very well’’ for working people.

Australia’s approach mandates employer contributions to private retirement funds — currently set at twelve percent of an employee’s salary — and has helped build one of the largest retirement savings pools in the world despite the country’s relatively small population.

Unlike the voluntary employer-sponsored retirement plans common in the U.S., where companies are not obliged to offer workplace savings options or make contributions, Australia’s model ensures near-universal coverage and a culture of automatic, long-term savings accumulation.

However, analysts and policy experts caution that wholesale adoption in the U.S. would face significant political, structural, and cultural obstacles.

Mandating employer contributions at rates similar to those in Australia could encounter resistance from American businesses, particularly smaller firms, and would require reconciling the new system with established frameworks such as Social Security and 401(k) plans.

Critics also note that while Australia’s retirement pool has grown substantially, the system still leaves retirees responsible for managing their savings over decades and does not fully solve issues such as longevity risk or the conversion of savings into stable income in retirement.

Moreover, the relative complexity of integrating a compulsory savings scheme into the U.S. tax code and labor market adds another layer of difficulty.

Supporters of the idea argue that automatic retirement savings could reduce reliance on public pension benefits and broaden financial security for younger and middle-income workers.

Yet many observers believe that any movement toward a superannuation-style mandate in the U.S. would require phased implementation, hybrid structures, and bipartisan legislative support to succeed.

As Trump and his advisors continue to explore the concept, the debate over how best to secure retirement outcomes for future generations remains at the forefront of policy discussions in Washington.