President Trump said on Monday that Americans could receive $2,000 tariff dividend checks as soon as next year, promising that "hundreds of millions of dollars in tariff money" would be distributed by the middle of 2026.
"We've taken in hundreds of millions of dollars in tariff money. We're going to be issuing dividends probably by the middle of next year, maybe a little bit later than that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
🚨 BREAKING: Democrats are terrified to hear that President Trump's tariff dividend check to the middle and lower class is likely to go out before the 2026 MIDTERMS...
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 17, 2025
"We're gonna be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to - the middle of next year, a little bit later… pic.twitter.com/esPNdfCQI7
For months, the president has proposed using revenue from the "Liberation Day" tariffs to issue checks to Americans, with any remaining funds used to reduce the national debt. That plan is increasingly likely to become reality, just before the 2026 midterm elections.
Mixed signals have been provided on the proposal, with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent saying on Sunday that the plan is only in discussion.
Through October 2025, the U.S. government has collected roughly $309 billion in tariff revenue, more than double last year’s total of about $144 billion.
While tariff revenue has soared under Trump, it remains but a modest contributor to the U.S. Treasury. By comparison, individual income taxes brought in over $2.6 trillion in fiscal 2025, while tariffs accounted for $195 billion and corporate income taxes totaled $452 billion, according to Treasury data.
The Supreme Court is currently deciding a case on the legality of the president's reciprocal tariffs; a decision is expected before the end of the year.