President Donald Trump revisited the idea of $2,000 “tariff rebate” checks this week, but stopped short of making a firm promise — and didn’t provide a definitive rollout date.
In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Trump was asked about the proposed checks and when Americans might actually see them. “I’m looking at it very seriously. I’m the only one can do it because I’m takin’ in hundreds of billions of dollars of money from tariffs,” Trump said, according to the released transcript.
When the interviewer pushed him on whether he could guarantee the payments, Trump said he could — but emphasized he hasn’t committed yet. “I can do that. I haven’t made the commitment yet, but I may make the commitment,” he said.
Trump also pointed to what he described as a “Warrior Dividend” program, claiming he “just gave $1,776” to U.S. military servicemembers — saying he adjusted the number to reflect the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.
He’s raised the rebate idea before. In a separate interview with The New York Times, Trump suggested the timing could be later in the year, arguing tariff revenue would make it possible. “The tariff money is so substantial. That’s coming in, that I’ll be able to do $2,000 sometime. I would say toward the end of the year,” he said.
