What is Donald Trump’s plan to distribute $2,000 among Americans to share the money earned from tariffs?
The U.S. president is, not for the first time, publicly mooting the possibility of using tariffs revenue to send out stimulus checks.
Donald Trump is publicly floating the idea of using revenue from import tariffs to send out a new stimulus check to the American public.
Speaking to One America News this week, the U.S. president said his administration was considering the possibility of making “a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend”. Trump added: “We’re thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000. It’d be great.”
The U.S. government’s capacity to make such an outlay, the 79-year-old claimed, stands to be bolstered by potential 13-figure annual revenue from tariffs.
“They’re just starting to kick in, but ultimately your tariffs are going to be over a $1 trillion a year, in my opinion,” Trump told One America News. “We’re going to do something, we’re looking at something.”
Trump has mooted the idea of a tariffs “dividend” before. In July, he told reporters: “We have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate.”
How much are Trump’s tariffs making?
Since he returned to the White House in early 2025, the president has pursued an aggressive policy of tariffs on goods imported to America. These levies are paid by the importer in the U.S. - not by the exporter in the country whose products are subject to tariffs.
But at present, the U.S. appears to be well short of Trump’s stated $1 trillion expectation.
Per Treasury Department data, customs duties collected by the Trump administration have hit a monthly average of around $30 billion since May. In total, according to calculations by the Bipartisan Policy Center, the American government has raised just over $190 billion in tariffs since January.
This week, Axios reported that revenue from Trump’s import levies is projected to reach yearly sums in the region of $400 billion.
Trump admin’s covid checks
During Trump’s first term as president, the U.S. government sent out two rounds of stimulus checks, in a bid to counteract the economic slowdown caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
Officially known as “economic impact payments”, checks for up to $1,200 were issued to eligible Americans beginning in April 2020, before a second payment of up to $600 was approved in December that year.
After Trump was succeeded as president by Joe Biden, qualifying individuals received a third covid-19 stimulus check, for a maximum of $1,400. Payments began going out in spring 2021.
All three pandemic-era payments were made after first receiving the green light from Congress. Any tariffs “dividend” would also be subject to the approval of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
And the feasibility of a new round of stimulus checks will be impacted not only by the revenue Trump’s tariffs generate - but also the legality of the import levies.
The Supreme Court, the U.S. federal judiciary’s highest authority, is this autumn due to begin examining whether Trump lawfully used emergency powers to push through his sweeping policy of tariffs.
“Terrible for the Treasury”
Talking to NBC last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke of his confidence that Trump’s tariffs won’t be struck down. However, he warned of the financial implications for the government if it loses the case.
“We would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs, which would be terrible for the Treasury,” Bessent said.
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