Who Would Qualify for the $2,000 Payments?

Trump has suggested that high-income earners will not qualify, although he has not provided a specific income threshold. In a recent post on Truth Social, he wrote:

“A dividend of $2,000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”

The U.S. Treasury has reported that tariff revenue during Trump’s second term has generated over $220 billion. However, more than 163 million Americans filed tax returns in 2024, according to the IRS, meaning universal $2,000 checks would total roughly $326 billion—exceeding tariff revenue collected so far.

Trump has argued that remaining funds could also contribute toward reducing the nearly $40 trillion national debt, writing:

“All money left over … will be used to substantially pay down national debt.”