US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that most Americans would soon receive a dividend payment of “at least” $2,000 from tariff revenues.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “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.”
He further added, “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 announcement builds on Trump’s earlier comments from October, when he told One America News Network that he was considering a “distribution to the people” worth between $1,000 and $2,000, based on projected tariff revenues he claimed could exceed $1 trillion annually.
According to the US Treasury Department, customs duties collected in fiscal year 2025 totalled $195 billion. While this amount is far short of Trump’s trillion-dollar projection, it still represents a significant revenue stream from tariffs, as reported by Business Insider.
For many consumers, the idea of a dividend payout could offer welcome relief amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures and the federal government shutdown. However, implementing such a scheme would likely require congressional approval.
Trump has previously said he would prefer to use tariff revenues to reduce the national debt but added that his trade policies have strengthened the economy. “401(k)s are at record highs,” he wrote, adding that US factories are “booming” and that the nation is “taking in trillions” from tariff revenues. The proposed $2,000 tariff dividend, if approved, would be one of the most direct redistributions of trade-related revenue in US history.
