Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(129,752 posts)
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:28 PM Oct 4

Trump eyes issuing $1,000-$2,000 'dividend' checks for Americans -- with the cash coming from $1T in tariff revenue

Imagine opening your mailbox to find a $2,000 “dividend” check from the government. That’s the eye-popping idea President Donald Trump is now floating — all thanks to his sweeping tariff policy.

In a recent interview with One America News, Trump touted how much money tariffs could generate.

“They’re just starting to kick in, but ultimately, your tariffs are going to be over a trillion dollars a year,” he said. (1) That’s a big claim. Treasury Department data cited by Fox Business shows cumulative tariff collections at $214.9 billion so far in 2025. (2)

Trump says the funds would first go toward paying down the national debt. “Number one, we're paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy,” he said.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-eyes-issuing-1-000-201000202.html

Wait a second. He was saying they brought in $17 trillion the other day. And what about the DOGE refund he promised earlier?

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Trump eyes issuing $1,000-$2,000 'dividend' checks for Americans -- with the cash coming from $1T in tariff revenue (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Oct 4 OP
Trump told us last week LyfeTimeDem Oct 4 #1
Still waiting on my $5K DOGE check and this check was to be $5K too! Now we're getting ripped off? TheBlackAdder Oct 6 #19
Math is hard Red Mountain Oct 4 #2
Guess that's why he admires Argentina so much Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Oct 4 #3
usually...but not always: ret5hd Oct 4 #11
Man with this and my Doge check Johonny Oct 4 #4
Don't get your hopes up. markodochartaigh Oct 4 #8
Lying sack of shit says what?? FoxNewsSucks Oct 4 #5
So they took your money and raised your health insurance premiums bucolic_frolic Oct 4 #6
There are 250 million adults in the US. markodochartaigh Oct 4 #7
"Number one, we're paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy," Sogo Oct 4 #9
Yahoo Finance trying to polish this turd Prairie Gates Oct 4 #10
Was Going To Post A Similar Take ProfessorGAC Oct 6 #21
Watch if midterms polls look bad, we'll at least see proposals for those "dividends." Silent Type Oct 4 #12
By that point he could very well Cosmocat Oct 6 #22
My family will be donating it all to the multigraincracker Oct 4 #13
i don't think he knows what a dividend is Takket Oct 4 #14
MaddowBlog-Why Trump's plan for tariff rebate checks must inevitably end in failure LetMyPeopleVote Oct 5 #15
I could certainly use the money, but my vote is not for sale. Jack Valentino Oct 5 #16
Yay. It will pay one month of new health insurance premiums. GoodRaisin Oct 6 #17
He is trying to fool the American people videohead5 Oct 6 #18
Some of. Morbius Oct 6 #20
Yeah videohead5 Oct 6 #23

TheBlackAdder

(29,762 posts)
19. Still waiting on my $5K DOGE check and this check was to be $5K too! Now we're getting ripped off?
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 03:56 AM
Oct 6

What's this, some kind of pre-election bribe or something?

Either someone lied, someone stole the money, or a bit of both.

Red Mountain

(2,194 posts)
2. Math is hard
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:32 PM
Oct 4

.....not to worry......there's always bankruptcy.

Creditors are ALWAYS willing to negotiate for pennies on the dollar......suckers.

Coming soon to a nation near you.

markodochartaigh

(4,311 posts)
8. Don't get your hopes up.
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:50 PM
Oct 4

By the time you get that money Trump will have tanked the dollar so much you will be lucky to get two big macs with fries.

bucolic_frolic

(52,776 posts)
6. So they took your money and raised your health insurance premiums
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:44 PM
Oct 4

Now they're going to give you back 8 cents on the dollar.

Um, somebody made off with a lot of money!

markodochartaigh

(4,311 posts)
7. There are 250 million adults in the US.
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:48 PM
Oct 4

One trillion divided by 250 million is 4,000. This money was paid by the buyers of products, the consumers, us.
And that deficit? That deficit is almost entirely from tax cuts for the wealthy and wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Where the hell is the rest of our $4,000, because $2,000 ain't cutting it.

You want to pay down your debt, go claw back those tax breaks for the 1%.

Sogo

(6,698 posts)
9. "Number one, we're paying down debt, because people have allowed the debt to go crazy,"
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:51 PM
Oct 4

He's the number one reason the debt has gone crazy. In his first administration and now this one, with the massive tax cuts to the wealthiest.

Prairie Gates

(6,480 posts)
10. Yahoo Finance trying to polish this turd
Sat Oct 4, 2025, 09:53 PM
Oct 4

There will be no trillion dollar tariff revenue. They will not pay down the "debt" at all. There will be no "dividend," which would only be a partial refund on the increased tax of the tariffs in the first place.

Literally every element of this story is bullshit.

ProfessorGAC

(74,795 posts)
21. Was Going To Post A Similar Take
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 08:07 AM
Oct 6

Now, I don't have to.
BTW: I don't believe the tariff revenues they are claiming because of who is claiming it.

Cosmocat

(15,307 posts)
22. By that point he could very well
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 08:21 AM
Oct 6

Just out and out say, if Rs win we will send out the checks ... then of course not do it.

LetMyPeopleVote

(171,292 posts)
15. MaddowBlog-Why Trump's plan for tariff rebate checks must inevitably end in failure
Sun Oct 5, 2025, 05:55 PM
Oct 5

As the president floats new “dividend” checks, there’s an old accounting maxim he might want to learn: “You can’t spend the same dollar twice.”

Why Trump’s plan for tariff rebate checks must inevitably end in failure www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

@jimrissmiller.bsky.social 2025-10-04T19:35:28.166Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-plan-tariff-rebate-checks-must-inevitably-end-failure-rcna235460

In recent months, as Donald Trump’s trade tariffs have taken root, the president has occasionally floated the idea of turning tariff revenue into checks his administration would send to the public. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has even put together legislation in the hopes of advancing the idea.

As Reuters reported, he hasn’t yet given up on the idea.

The Republican president said his administration was looking at using tariff revenues to issue rebate checks for Americans. ‘We also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America,’ Trump told OAN. ‘We’ve thinking maybe $1,000 to $2,000. It’d be great.’


.....And therein lies a problem. There’s an old accounting maxim, “You can’t spend the same dollar twice,” and the president might want to familiarize himself with the idea......

There are very credible concerns about tariffs weakening economic growth in the coming months and years, but even putting those questions aside, there’s a more foundational problem: The White House can’t spend the same dollar several times.

Earlier this week, during his radical remarks to U.S. generals and admirals, Trump boasted, “We’ve taken in trillions of dollars. We’re rich again.” If he were right, and the United States had actually taken in trillions of dollars since April, we could have a very different kind of conversation. But in reality, tariff revenue was roughly $30 billion in July. (That’s “billion” with a B, not “trillion” with a T.)

In the context of federal expenditures, that’s not even close to being enough money to pay for all of the things the president has talked about.

In late July, Trump boasted online, “Our Country is doing very well and can afford just about anything.” It’d be nice if that were true. It's not.



videohead5

(2,769 posts)
18. He is trying to fool the American people
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 03:43 AM
Oct 6

He is giving our money back to us that he took away with his tariff taxes. What a total joke.

Morbius

(730 posts)
20. Some of.
Mon Oct 6, 2025, 07:35 AM
Oct 6

Your statement is missing the words, "Some of." As in, "He is giving some of our money back..."

And he's not. He lies, you know.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Trump eyes issuing $1,000...