President Trump said Sunday that most Americans would receive a $2,000 dividend because of tariffs his administration imposed on foreign countries.
Trump announced the potential payments on his Truth Social platform, calling opponents of his tariffs “FOOLS” in a post.
“We are taking in billions of dollars and will soon begin paying off our HUGE DEBT, $37 trillion,” the president wrote. “Record investment in the United States, factories and plants on the rise everywhere. A dividend of at least $2,000 per person (not including high income earners!) will be paid to everyone.”
Congressional approval would likely be needed to make the payments. There is no specific plan at this point for dividends, which could cost the government hundreds of billions of dollars.
Trump’s message comes after a difficult week for the president.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that questioned whether Trump overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs against foreign countries without support from Congress. Most of the sitting justices, including conservative justices such as Chief Justice John G. Roberts, appeared skeptical of the president’s authority under the Constitution.
Most of the justices seemed to hold that the Constitution gives Congress the power to raise taxes, fees and tariffs, not the president.
This blow came Tuesday after Democratic victories across the country.
Since taking office, Trump has imposed high tariffs on specific products as well as particularly high tariffs on products from specific countries such as India and Brazil.
Trump said at the White House on Thursday that revoking the tariffs would be “devastating” for the United States.
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he had not yet spoken with Trump about the proposed dividend.
“The $2,000 dividend could take many forms and many ways,” Bessent said.
