Americans might soon see a financial boost due to Donald Trump’s proposed ‘tariff dividends’.
The Republican party has frequently promised to return funds to American citizens, but the feasibility of such promises remains a topic of debate.
In February, Elon Musk, who was serving as a ‘special government employee’ at the time, speculated that individuals could receive up to $5,000 from DOGE dividends.
This prediction may have been overly hopeful, as DOGE’s reported savings amounted to $214 billion, which breaks down to approximately $1,329 for each of the estimated 161 million federal taxpayers, according to its website.
Recently, Trump hinted at a comparable financial benefit for Americans, this time through ‘tariff dividends’.
He posted on Truth Social on Sunday (November 9): “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.”
Trump further stated: “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.”
The president did not specify when these payments might be distributed.
The Hill reported that, according to the Treasury Department’s September statement, $195 billion had been collected from tariff duties in the first three quarters of the year.
Trump added that this revenue will also be utilized to reduce America’s significant debt, which is projected to be $37.64 trillion by 2025, based on US Treasury Fiscal Data.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was questioned about Trump’s statements and explained how the potential $2,000 dividend might be sourced.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, he noted: “The $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways, George.
“You know, it could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda – you know, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, deductibility of auto loans.”
However, Bessent admitted he had not directly discussed these plans with Trump.