Trump Promises $2,000 Payout in Bizarre Tariff Rant: ‘People Against Tariffs Are Fools!’
Donald Trump sparked fresh controversy on Sunday after posting a long and angry message on his social media platform, Truth Social, defending tariffs and mocking anyone who opposes them. In his post, Trump claimed that tariffs were making America richer, helping pay off national debt, and even boosting retirement accounts. He also promised that every American — except high-income earners — would soon receive a minimum payout of $2,000 as part of what he described as a “dividend” from the country’s tariff earnings.
Trump wrote that people who oppose tariffs are “fools,” insisting that the United States is currently “the richest and most respected country in the world,” with “record-high stock markets” and “401(k)s at their best levels ever.” He added that America was “taking in trillions of dollars” through tariffs and that those funds would soon go toward paying off what he called an “enormous $37 trillion national debt.” According to him, the country was also seeing “record investment” with “plants and factories going up all over the place.”
In another angry post, Trump complained about the limits on presidential power when it comes to trade. He argued that it made no sense for a president to be allowed to stop trade with another country completely but not be allowed to impose tariffs, even for national security reasons. “Other countries can tariff us, but we can’t tariff them?” he wrote. “It’s their dream! Businesses are coming into the U.S. only because of tariffs. What the hell is going on?”
Trump has floated similar ideas before. In an interview with One America in October, he mentioned plans to “make a distribution to the people” — comparing it to paying dividends to shareholders — as a reward for Americans. He suggested the payments could range between $1,000 and $2,000 per person.
Earlier in the year, Trump and Elon Musk, who was then leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reportedly discussed sending out $5,000 stimulus checks. The idea was to fund those payments through federal cost-cutting measures, but it never came to life.
However, while Trump continues to boast about the benefits of his tariff policies, economic reports suggest that these same tariffs have led to higher costs for American households. According to the Tax Foundation, tariffs have effectively caused an average tax increase of about $1,200 per household in 2025 and are expected to rise to $1,600 in 2026.
Trump’s new round of posts shows that he’s not backing down from his trade war approach, even as economists warn that tariffs often hurt consumers more than they help. Yet to his supporters, the promise of a $2,000 payout may sound like another signature Trump move — bold, dramatic, and aimed at putting “America first,” no matter the controversy that follows.
