Trump Pushes $2,000 “Tariff Dividend” and Calls Opponents "Fools"
Donald Trump is doubling down on tariffs, and he’s not being subtle about it. In a fresh burst on Truth Social, he called anyone who opposes tariffs “fools” and claimed the policy is about to pay off in a very direct way: a $2,000 dividend for most Americans.
Trump says the country is “the richest, most respected” it’s
ever been and argues that tariff money is piling up fast enough to fund these
dividend checks. He insists high-income earners won’t get the payout, but
everyone else will.
He also points to what he calls a manufacturing comeback.
According to him, factories are getting record investment, jobs are returning,
and the government will soon start paying down its massive $38 trillion debt.
Treasury numbers do show tariff revenue climbing sharply since his so-called
Liberation Day tariffs launched last spring — hitting more than $215 billion in
the last fiscal year and already nearly $36 billion just weeks into the new
one.
But while Trump promotes the idea of a “tariff-powered
bonus” for Americans, his trade agenda is facing a major test. The Supreme
Court has taken up a case that questions whether he even has the authority to
impose these broad tariffs under emergency powers. A federal appeals court has
already said he went too far, arguing Congress — not the president — has the
constitutional power to control taxes and tariffs. Now it’s up to the justices
to decide how far a president can really go.
Inside the administration, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
isn’t fully committing to Trump’s $2,000 plan. In an interview on ABC, he
explained that while tariffs bring in money early on, the long-term goal is to
rebuild American manufacturing so the economy doesn’t rely on tariff revenue at
all. He suggested the “dividend” could come in other economic benefits too —
like tax cuts on tips and overtime, which Trump has been promoting as part of
his economic agenda.
Meanwhile, critics argue that tariffs are basically taxes
paid by American businesses and consumers, not foreign governments. Even Chief
Justice John Roberts raised concerns during arguments, questioning whether
Trump’s approach sidelines Congress’s core constitutional powers.
Trump, unsurprisingly, hit back online. He mocked the idea
that a president can halt all trade with a country but supposedly can’t impose
a tariff for national security reasons. In his view, tariffs are the backbone
of an economic boom — the reason, he says, companies are “pouring into the
USA.”
What this really means is that Trump is making tariffs a signature part of his reelection pitch: more jobs, more factories, and a possible $2,000 boost for millions of Americans. The Supreme Court’s ruling will determine how much of that agenda he can actually deliver.
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