The 79-year-old US President has spent months floating the idea of $2,000 tariff rebate checks, previously suggesting that many Americans could expect to receive the money by mid-2026. He has repeatedly argued that the payments would be funded by revenue generated from his trade tariffs.
Tariff Revenue and Big Claims
In simple terms, Trump claimed that the United States was earning so much from his sweeping tariffs that he could afford to send every American a $2,000 cheque. However, recent comments suggest that plan may not be materialising any time soon.
During an interview with the New York Times in the Oval Office last week, White House correspondents Katie Rogers and Tyler Pager questioned the Republican leader about tariffs and his earlier pledges.
Rogers asked directly: “You’ve promised $2,000 checks to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can they expect those?”
Trump appeared confused by the question, responding: “I did do that? When did I do that?”
“Well, I mean, your -,” Rogers began, before Trump interrupted: “Yeah, I’m thinking. Well, I did $1,776 for the military.”
Conflicting Answers on the Timeline