Trump revives proposal for $2,000 tariff dividend to most Americans

[President Trump Travels To Florida To Spend Weekend At Mar-A-Lago]
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images News

President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his call to use tariff revenues to fund direct payments to U.S. households, proposing a $2,000 “dividend” for most Americans.

“A dividend of at $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that critics of his trade policies are “FOOLS!”

[President Trump lashed out at critics of his trade policies in a post on Truth Social.]
President Trump lashed out at critics of his trade policies in a post on Truth Social. (Truth Social)

The president has repeatedly floated the idea of sharing tariff proceeds with the public but has yet to put it into action. Any such plan would likely require congressional approval.

Earlier this year, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation calling for $600 tariff rebates to working Americans and their children, saying his measure would ensure “hard-working Americans benefit from the wealth that Trump’s tariffs are returning to this country.”

The administration has so far prioritized reducing the national debt. In August, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that paying down the federal balance,now over $38 trillion, remains the top objective for tariff revenue.

On Sunday, Trump reiterated that point, writing that the administration would also use tariff income to pay down the “ENORMOUS” national debt.

The Treasury Department collected roughly $195 billion in tariff duties through the first three quarters of this year, according to government data. But consumers have felt some of the impact: as of mid-October, the average effective tariff rate had climbed to 18%, the highest level since 1934, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

Many businesses have passed those added costs on to customers following the administration’s broad tariffs on global trading partners imposed in April. The White House hasn’t yet clarified how or when a potential dividend plan might take shape.

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