President Donald Trump seems to have forgotten his promise to send Americans $2,000 “dividend” checks from tariff revenue.
On April 2, 2025, he released a long list of tariffs on many countries. Trump showed placards listing each country and the new tariffs the US would impose. Another column showed what he said those countries previously charged the US.
Taxes ranged from 10% to as high as 50%. Since then, President Trump has praised his own tariff policies and claimed that they made America wealthier, returned money to the country, and boosted the stock market.
The 79-year-old also said that revenue would help pay down the national debt. He promised that it would also fund payments of at least $2,000 per person, excluding people from higher-income families.
Trump’s new announced tariffs- basically add 20% to the cost of any product you buy. This is going to be horrible pic.twitter.com/1oHX2hx9Pt
— Maya Luna (@envisionedluna) April 2, 2025
In a Truth Social post, Trump said tariffs were driving positive results. “The TARIFFS are responsible for the GREAT USA economic numbers just announced … and they will only get better! Also, no inflation and strong national security,” he wrote. He also asked for support for the Supreme Court.
According to UNILAD, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed support for the proposal, explaining that the administration could return between $100 billion and $150 billion to taxpayers, potentially resulting in $1,000 to $2,000 per household.
However, during a recent Oval Office interview with The New York Times, reporter Katie Rogers asked when Americans could expect the $2,000 payments. Trump seemed unsure and asked the reporter when he made that promise.
“I did do that? When did I do that?” he said, before apparently remembering and adding that he had previously authorized $1,776 payments for the military. In addition, Trump said the tariff revenue was substantial and suggested he would be able to issue $2,000 payments “sometime toward the end of the year.”
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Some worry that congressional approval is needed for the payments, but Trump dismissed that. “No, I don’t believe we do. We have it coming in from other sources,” he said.
Yet, a key question remains: is the $2,000 payment proposal financially possible to achieve? According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, issuing these checks to most Americans would cost about $600 billion, raising doubts about Trump’s plan, considering he has allegedly boasted about it a million times.
The tariffs announced in April 2025 have only generated about $90 billion as of September 30, 2025, per U.S. Customs and Border Protection, leaving a considerable gap from what is needed for widespread payments. POTUS continues to insist revenue will rise, but meeting this shortfall remains problematic amidst several other problems.
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In November last year, in a classic Trump style Truth Social post, he said tariff income would “skyrocket” once existing inventory is used up. That same month, the Supreme Court reviewed whether the tariffs were lawful and if the president could impose them without Congress under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
According to The Hill, several companies have initiated lawsuits against the White House, seeking refunds for tariffs already paid, as they are arguing that the policies have resulted in unexpected financial losses.
