The money, supposedly, will be made available to the government thanks to Trump’s controversial tariff scheme. Trump pledged to shell out the above sum to all citizens who don’t fall into the ‘high income’ bracket.
Writing on Truth Social last week, Trump penned: “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” he wrote. “With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. 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.”
He added: “A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald walks toward reporters while departing the White House on September 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is scheduled to travel to New York City this evening. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The post in question neglected to elaborate on a potential timeline, nor did it outline exactly who would and wouldn’t be eligible for the dividend.
Perhaps predictably, doubts were cast on Trump’s plan to hand out $2000 to everyone. The Guardian delved a little deeper into the potential problems with such a huge undertaking on the government’s part, with analysts pointing out that there are two major hurdles.
The first is cost. Such a payment could cost between $300 billion and $513 billion, depending on whether children count and which adults are eligible.
Economist Erica York wrote: “If the cutoff is $100,000, 150M adults would qualify, for a cost near $300 billion. … Adjusting for that, tariffs have raised $90 billion of net revenues compared to Trump’s proposed $300 billion rebate.”
The second issue is the legal challenges associated with the tariffs themselves, which is where any and all money for dividends would come from.
Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in cases challenging the president’s use of emergency‐powers law to implement the tariffs. Three lower courts already ruled the approach illegal, and if the tariffs collapse in court, any planned or perceived system resulting in a payout would disappear.
Nevertheless, Trump provided an update late last week, suggesting that any dividend payments would have to wait until 2026.
“It will be next year… The tariffs allow us to give a dividend. We’re going to do a dividend and we’re also going to be reducing debt,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One, per The New York Post.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, was asked about the plan during a recent interview with Fox Business, responding: “We will see. We need legislation for that.”
As mentioned, Trump – just as virtually any other politician to walk the earth – has a rich history of failing to live up to promises made. Yet this one may have ramifications beyond the usual.
Promising the people sweeping changes to law, a difficult-to-define cheaper cost of living, and even a huge wall to separate two countries might not leave them ready to riot if it can be argued that you haven’t delivered.
Promising the people – in your own words, no less – $2,000 each is not something they’re likely to forget anytime soon.
Do you think Trump will make good on his promise? Let us know in the comments
