President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that “almost all Americans” will receive a direct payment of at least $2,000 from the revenue collected through the nation’s tariffs, explicitly excluding “high-income people!” from the proposed “dividend.”
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, the President claimed the tariff revenue is “taking in trillions of dollars” and asserted that the payments would be made to “everyone,” though he offered no specific timeline or mechanism for the distribution.
“A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” the President wrote.
The announcement comes as his administration’s use of sweeping tariffs, often referred to as “Liberation Day” tariffs, faces a major legal challenge before the Supreme Court.
Oral arguments were heard last week, with several justices, including some conservatives, expressing skepticism about the President’s authority to impose such broad levies without explicit congressional approval.
President Trump used his social media posts to fiercely defend his trade policy, arguing that tariffs are vital to the country’s economic strength and security.
- He painted a picture of economic prosperity, claiming the U.S. is “the richest, most respected country in the world with almost no inflation and a record stock market price. 401Ks are highest ever.”
- He claimed the revenue would be used to “soon begin paying down our enormous debt, $37 trillion.”
- He lashed out at the Supreme Court’s apparent skepticism, questioning why a president is “fully approved by Congress” to “stop ALL TRADE with a foreign country” but not allowed to “put a simple tariff… even for the purposes of NATIONAL SECURITY.”
- He concluded with a direct challenge to the judiciary, writing: “Businesses are pouring into the USA ONLY BECAUSE OF TARIFFS. HAS THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT NOT BEEN TOLD THIS??? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???“
The President has long maintained that tariffs are a key strategy to restore lost U.S. manufacturing jobs and shift the nation’s tax burden. However, the proposal for a direct dividend comes amidst warnings from economists and business groups that tariffs often act as a tax on domestic consumers and businesses through higher prices on imported goods.
A crucial point is that any such large-scale payment program would likely require approval from Congress, which has not yet acted on a direct tariff revenue distribution.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the tariff challenge will determine the future of the administration’s tariff strategy—and, potentially, the legal foundation for the revenue stream the President proposes to use for the $2,000 payments.
READ: Treasury Secretary Confronts Stephanopoulos Over Past ‘Terrorist’ Rhetoric On Government Shutdowns
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