“Whether you get rid of it or just keep it around for fun… you will not be paying income taxes.”
Alongside the promised checks, Trump insisted that tariff revenue would also help shrink the national debt, which now sits at roughly $37 trillion.
When Would the Checks Arrive?
While the idea has sparked excitement, Trump clarified that these payments won’t go out in 2025.
“No, no. Not for this year. It’ll be next year sometime,” he confirmed.
That leaves 2026 as the earliest realistic timeline — and even that isn’t officially confirmed.
Economists Raise Serious Questions
Many experts are highly skeptical about the math behind Trump’s proposal.
Erica York of the Tax Foundation broke it down on X:
“If the cutoff is $100,000, 150 million adults would qualify, for a cost near $300 billion. Only problem: new tariffs have raised $120 billion so far.”
In other words, the revenue Trump says will fund these checks may not be enough to cover even half the cost.
A Pattern of Big Promises
This isn’t the first time Trump has floated headline-grabbing financial rewards:
- February 2025 — He proposed a $5,000 “DOGE dividend” tied to efficiency savings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. No payments have materialized.
- July 2025 — He supported tariff rebate checks, ranging from $600 to $2,400 per family. Senator Josh Hawley later introduced the idea as the American Worker Rebate Act, but it has yet to pass Congress.
So while many Americans would welcome a $2,000 boost, history suggests caution. Until Congress approves an actual program — and the IRS outlines how it would work — these checks remain a promise, not a guarantee.
Do you think $2,000 dividend checks will really happen in 2026, or is this another political promise that may fade away? Share your thoughts — your voice adds to the conversation!