President Trump on Sunday once again floated the idea of paying a $2,000 dividend to most Americans out of the billions raised in tariffs this year, an idea he's repeatedly touted but never executed.
Why it matters: Trump is doubling down on his tariff pitch even as those duties face their biggest legal test yet before the Supreme Court — and as Republicans reel from an election in which voters punished them for high prices those same tariffs helped fuel.
What they're saying: "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," Trump posted on Truth Social, in one of a series of posts defending his tariffs.
- "A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone."
The intrigue: Earlier this week the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether most of Trump's tariffs were legally imposed, with justices sounding skeptical of his authority.
- They appeared concerned that tariffs effectively acted as a revenue-raising tax, as opposed to a mechanism to solve any emergency caused by a trade imbalance.
- There are questions about whether the government could end up having to refund more than $100 billion to importers if the high court rules the tariffs weren't legal.
Between the lines: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, insisted the tariffs were not about "taking in the revenue," but rather were intended to re-balance trade.
Flashback: Trump has hinted at a tariff dividend many times this year.
- He's more recently settled on the $2,000 figure, though.
What to watch: It's not clear when the Supreme Court will rule on the tariff case.
- If they do preserve the tariffs, the question will become whether the dividend is authorized, who'd receive it, and how much of a dent that would put in the tariffs' ability to reduce the debt.
