US President Donald Trump on Sunday once again floated the idea of sending $2,000 dividends to most Americans from tariff revenue. Though it is still not clear that who would get the amount, but economists expect a tariff dividend could cost hundreds of billions of dollars, potentially more than the government actually collects in a year. Trump's proposal to send Americans $2,000 rebate checks from money collected through his tariffs is projected to cost $600 billion a year, reports USA Today. The projections were released by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit that studies fiscal policy.
Over the weekend, Trump touted "taking in Trillions of Dollars" and said, "A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone." He did not specify income requirements for recipients.
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Trump has repeatedly pitched the idea of tariff-based stimulus but has yet to execute it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said that Trump's suggested tariff payout could simply refer to tax savings from the One Big Beautiful Bill legislation.
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"It could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president's agenda. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, deductibility on auto loans. Those are substantial deductions that are being financed in the tax bill," Bessent told ABC News' "This Week" Sunday.
"The real goal of tariffs is to rebalance trade and make it more fair," Bessent added. Scott Bessent said on Sunday the $2,000 dividend could come through the tax cuts passed in Trump’s economic policy bill earlier this year.
“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country in the World, With Almost No Inflation, and a Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER.”
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He, however, said that “the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways. It could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security – deductibility on auto loans.”
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The case partly focuses on Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, introduced on April 2. These tariffs place taxes of 10% to 50% on most US imports, depending on where they come from. Trump says the tariffs are needed to fix the country’s long-standing trade imbalance.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said the US is “taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion.” Commenting on the president’s remarks, Bessent said, “Over the course of the next few years we could take in trillions of dollars. But the real goal of tariffs is to rebalance trade and make it more fair.”
Over the weekend, Trump touted "taking in Trillions of Dollars" and said, "A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone." He did not specify income requirements for recipients.
ALSO READ: US citizens to receive $2000 tariff dividend check in November? Check eligibility and other key criteria
How Trump's $2,000 tariff dividend be given out?
Trump’s announcement that Americans may receive a tariff “dividend” of at least $2,000 has left many curious about who will be eligible and, more importantly, how and when these payments will be processed. "We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place," Trump posted on Truth Social over the weekend. "A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone."Trump has repeatedly pitched the idea of tariff-based stimulus but has yet to execute it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said that Trump's suggested tariff payout could simply refer to tax savings from the One Big Beautiful Bill legislation.
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"It could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president's agenda. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, deductibility on auto loans. Those are substantial deductions that are being financed in the tax bill," Bessent told ABC News' "This Week" Sunday.
"The real goal of tariffs is to rebalance trade and make it more fair," Bessent added. Scott Bessent said on Sunday the $2,000 dividend could come through the tax cuts passed in Trump’s economic policy bill earlier this year.
Who is not eligible for $2,000 dividend?
Trump also clarified that the $2,000 payment would not go to “high income people”, though he did not specify what income level would make someone ineligible.“People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country in the World, With Almost No Inflation, and a Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER.”
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$2,000 ‘dividend’ to come through tax cuts?
During an appearance on ABC’s This Week, Bessent was asked about Trump’s social media post, in which he said he had not discussed the idea with the US president.He, however, said that “the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways. It could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security – deductibility on auto loans.”
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The case partly focuses on Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, introduced on April 2. These tariffs place taxes of 10% to 50% on most US imports, depending on where they come from. Trump says the tariffs are needed to fix the country’s long-standing trade imbalance.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said the US is “taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion.” Commenting on the president’s remarks, Bessent said, “Over the course of the next few years we could take in trillions of dollars. But the real goal of tariffs is to rebalance trade and make it more fair.”
