Donald Trump gave an unexpected reply when queried about the status of his pledge to distribute $2,000 in dividends to Americans, stemming from his administration’s contentious tariffs.
Last year, Trump took to Truth Social to elaborate on the policy, stating: “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! 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.
“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.”
According to the government, a series of ‘refunds’ will be distributed to households nationwide, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent detailing the process.
Last month, Bessent commented: “I think we’re going to see $100 [billion] to $150 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000, $2,000 per household.”
He further explained that checks for these refunds are anticipated to be dispatched in the first quarter of 2026.
During an Oval Office interview with the New York Times, Trump was asked about these payments by Katie Rogers: “You’ve promised $2,000 checks to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can they expect those?”
Initially, Trump appeared puzzled about his promise, questioning when he made such a commitment.
Before the journalist could clarify, Trump interrupted: “Yeah, I’m thinking. Well, I did $1,776 for the military.”
When pressed on when Americans can expect their ‘check’, Trump replied: “The tariff money is so substantial. That’s coming in, that I’ll be able to do $2,000 sometime. I would say toward the end of the year.”
The president also faces the potential requirement of Congressional approval for the payments, though he expressed confidence that this wouldn’t be an issue.
“No, I don’t believe we do. We have it coming in from other sources,” Trump stated.
During an Oval Office event about the FIFA World Cup’s upcoming visit to the US in June, Trump mentioned in November that the payments would be issued before the soccer event commences.
“We’re gonna be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to – the middle of next year, a little bit later than that,” he remarked.