Donald Trump Says Tariff Dividend of ‘at Least’ $2,000 Will Be Paid to Most Americans

President Donald Trump says he plans to pay Americans tariff-funded dividends totaling at least $2,000, according to a Nov. 9 post he shared on Truth Social.

In the announcement, Trump, 79, stated that revenue collected through tariffs imposed by the federal government would be redirected to residents across the United States. He emphasized that “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” while also making sweeping claims about the country’s current financial condition.

Trump also wrote that “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!”

The concept of a tariff dividend is not new for Trump. He previously floated a similar idea in an October interview with One America News Network, as reported by Business Insider, estimating that the payment would fall between $1,000 and $2,000 per individual.

A similar proposal appeared months earlier in legislation introduced by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who suggested $600 rebates per adult, plus payments for dependent children, funded by tariff revenue, according to The Hill.

The announcement also arrives as the Supreme Court examines the legality of Trump’s tariffs — many of which lower courts previously ruled unlawful, according to Business Insider. Trump has defended the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Outside of the proposed dividends, Trump reiterated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s earlier assertion — cited by The Hill — that his administration intends to use tax revenues to reduce the national debt. In his post, Trump claimed the government “will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT.”

According to The Hill, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported collecting $195 billion in tariff duties from January through September 2025.

Trump’s recent tariff pledge arrived alongside a series of posts criticizing the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) and blaming Democrats for the weeks-long government shutdown, which has now become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

At the center of the stalemate is funding for insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act — a program Republicans have long targeted and Democrats want to preserve. Without these subsidies, insurance costs for over 20 million Americans could double.

The shutdown has triggered widespread consequences: millions of people are receiving reduced or delayed food benefits, health care subsidies are nearing expiration, more than 600,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and over 700,000 continue working without pay.