President Donald Trump announces dividend payments to most Americans from tariff revenue; here is how it might work

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, via Truth Social, a proposal to distribute at least $2,000 “dividend” payments to most Americans using revenue generated from his administration’s tariff policies, explicitly excluding high-income individuals.

The idea, framed as a way to directly benefit citizens, ties into Trump’s broader economic agenda, which includes using tariff proceeds to offset costs for health care and other domestic priorities.

Trump described it as a “dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!)” paid to “everyone,” potentially as a quarterly or one-time check to counter the inflationary effects of tariffs on imported goods.

This comes amid discussions of a $2 trillion tariff plan, with some lawmakers like Rep. Ro Khanna suggesting similar stimulus checks for lower-income families to mitigate price hikes.

As of now, the proposal is not formalized legislation, and details on eligibility, timing, and funding remain unclear, though it echoes earlier Trump-era stimulus ideas.

The plan would most likely need Congressional approval, if formalized.