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Donald Trump has promised to give every American a $2,000 check, saying the money will come from tariffs collected under his administration.
He announced this on Sunday, calling critics of his tariff plan “fools.” Trump said everyone except “high-income people” would get the money but did not define what “high income” means.
He praised the U.S. economy, saying it has “almost no inflation,” a record stock market, and is “the most respected country in the world.” Trump claimed “trillions of dollars” in tariff income will also help pay off the nation’s $37 trillion debt.
His statement came after the Supreme Court questioned whether he had the legal right to impose tariffs using emergency powers. These tariffs affected nearly every country, including U.S. allies.
According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the government collected about $151 billion in tariffs from April to October. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicts that could rise to $500 billion per year.
However, the courts have already ruled several times that Trump’s use of emergency powers for tariffs is illegal. The Supreme Court is now reviewing the case.
Trump has argued that removing the tariffs would be a “total disaster” and weaken the country. He insists that other nations can charge the U.S. tariffs, so America should be able to do the same.
Recently, Trump raised tariffs on Canadian goods by 10 percent after Canada aired a commercial quoting Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. He called the ad a “hostile act.”
Trump also said he cut China’s tariffs by 10 percent after President Xi Jinping agreed to fight the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
If the courts strike down the tariffs, it is unclear whether Trump could still send out the $2,000 checks or use the revenue to cut the national debt.
Details of the plan, if it really exists, are still not clear, for example does “every American” include children? Such an addition could almost double the total payout. And how are the “very wealthy” defined?
Sources: The Hill, CNN, Daily Mail.
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