Trump said most Americans would get $2K payments from tariffs revenue. Here's what we know

Trump said “high income” people would not be getting those purported dividends.

Published Nov. 10, 2025

Image courtesy of Getty Images

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On Nov. 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would be sending $2,000 to each American except for “high income” earners, through funds obtained from “trillions” of dollars the U.S. has made in tariffs. 

Numerous Snopes readers asked us whether they would be receiving checks soon, including one claim stating such funds would arrive in November 2025. Per screenshots shared with us by a number of readers, Trump said:

People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER. We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. Record Investment in the USA, plants and factories going up all over the place. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone

(Screenshot via Facebook/Snopes reader)

While Trump did speak publicly about giving everyone $2,000, he did not specify when and how such payments would take place. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the news media that he had not spoken to Trump about this plan, but added that such dividends “could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways.” Trump also did not specify in his post who would qualify for such dividends, and whether children would be included. 

A White House spokesperson did not respond to our specific questions about when and how these payments would be distributed or who would qualify for such payments.

A spokesperson told Snopes over email, “President Trump’s tariffs are resetting global commerce, securing manufacturing investments, and safeguarding our national and economic security – and they’re also raising billions in revenue for the federal government. The Administration is committed to putting this money to good use for the American people.” 

In a post on TruthSocial, Trump said his tariffs would help pay for the country’s $37 trillion debt as well as put money directly in people’s pockets. He did not specify who would qualify for such payments or what his threshold for “high income” people would be. 

Trump also floated this idea in October 2025, during an interview with One America News network, and said he would consider giving dividends of $1,000 to $2,000. He said, “We’ll pay back debt, but we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America.” 

Can the tariffs pay for these dividends?

According to the U.S. Treasury, the national debt is at $38 trillion. The Treasury also reported that revenue raised from customs duties in the fiscal year 2025 amounted to $195 billion. 

The think tank Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that if current tariff collections were to continue, the government would raise about $3 trillion through fiscal year 2035. 

Without specifics on how many people qualify for such dividends among the U.S. population, it is difficult to estimate how much this proposal would cost. 

When and how will Americans be getting dividends?

The short answer is we don’t know yet. Given that the White House was not responding to our queries, we were unable to determine exactly what form these dividends would take. 

When asked if he had a formal proposal for such dividends, Bessent told ABC News that he had not spoken to Trump about the proposal (emphasis, ours): 

I haven’t spoken to the president about this yet, but, you know, it could — the $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms, in lots of ways […]. You know, it could be just the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda. You know, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. Deductibility of auto loans. So, you know, those are substantial deductions that, you know, are being financed in the tax bill.

In Bessent’s words, the dividends may not appear in the form of direct deposits or checks sent to American accounts, but in the form of less taxation. 

When asked how the administration would pay for such dividends, Bessent said the administration was not focused on revenue but on fixing a trade imbalance: “It’s not about taking in the revenue, it’s about re-balancing. And the revenue occurs early on. And then as we rebalance and the jobs come home, then it becomes domestic tax revenue.”

Whether Trump can continue imposing his tariffs depends on the courts. In May 2025, the New York-based Court of International Trade said Trump did not have the authority to impose such tariffs, a ruling upheld by the Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals in August. In November 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court was considering the issue after small business leaders told the court that Trump’s levies were harming their businesses. 

As of this writing, the Supreme Court had not struck down Trump’s tariffs. During a hearing in early November, a majority of the justices expressed doubts on the administration’s justifications for imposing such import duties. 

Trump’s ability to impose tariffs and thus pay out dividends depends heavily on the Supreme Court’s decision. Until then, we are unable to confirm whether such a policy will be enacted. 

Snopes has previously reported on Bank of America’s statement that Trump’s tariffs increased inflation, as well as the true claim that the administration used $750 million in tariff revenue to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children during the federal government shutdown. 

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.