The Treasury secretary suggests it could also come in a different form.
President Donald Trump said over the weekend that most Americans could receive a $2,000 dividend sourced from U.S. tariff revenues, the suggestion coming as the Supreme Court is set to rule on the administration’s import taxes.
Trump’s suggestion, which was made early on Nov. 9 on Truth Social, came after the administration defended his use of tariffs in the Supreme Court last week. Some justices appeared skeptical of his usage of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to invoke the tariffs.
What Trump Said
Praising the tariffs in his weekend post, Trump said those opposing the duties are “fools” and that the revenue generated as a result will be used to pay off the U.S. national debt. He then suggested that payments could be sent to Americans who are not “high-income people.”
“We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. [401(k)s] are Highest EVER,” Trump wrote in the post.
“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. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
Trump reiterated his suggestion to provide the payments to non-wealthy Americans in a post on Truth Social on the morning of Nov. 10.
“All money left over from the $2,000 payments made to low and middle income USA Citizens, from the massive Tariff Income pouring into our Country from foreign countries, which will be substantial, will be used to SUBSTANTIALLY PAY DOWN NATIONAL DEBT,” he wrote.
Not the 1st Time It’s Been Suggested
Last month, Trump told the One America News Network that tariff-related payments were being considered.
“We’re going to do something, we’re looking at something. Number one, we’re paying down debt. Because people have allowed the debt to go crazy,” Trump told the outlet in early October. “We’ll pay back debt, but we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America.”
President Trump tells me he’s considering rebate checks of $1,000-$2,000 from tariff revenue.
— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) October 3, 2025
TRUMP: “We’ll pay back debt. But we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America.”
Tune into @OANN at 11pm ET to watch! pic.twitter.com/VECOrgQxoA
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in July introduced a bill that would send tariff rebate checks to some Americans, noting that the U.S. government pulled in record tariff revenue in 2025. His bill would send a rebate check to American workers and their families with requirements similar to those for the stimulus checks that were sent out during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
