Will he keep his promise? Many doubt it. This weekend, Donald Trump promised to give $2,000 to every American except the highest earners. These checks, he said, would be a gift in return for the “trillions of dollars” he claimed had flowed into state coffers thanks to huge import duty increases.
“All the money remaining from the $2000 payments made to low- and middle-income Americans, from the massive Tariff Revenue flowing into our Nation from abroad, which is quite a large amount, will be used to SUBSTANTLY PAY THE NATIONAL DEBT.” -President Trump pic.twitter.com/mw7CWpjGhp
— White House (@WhiteHouse) November 10, 2025
This promise comes as import duties, their favorite trade weapon, come under heavy criticism. They could even soon be banned by the Supreme Court. The country’s highest judiciary held a hearing last week to try to determine the legality of these “tariffs.”
Donald Trump relied on emergency legislation, by declaring a state of emergency, to start a trade war with every country on the planet. The Supreme Court, despite its conservative majority, appears to doubt the legality of the practice. These tariffs would be taxes, and any new taxes would have to be approved by Congress, the justices insinuated.
That decision may come as early as 2026. However, many imagine that “tariffs,” which Donald Trump has long called “the most beautiful word in the dictionary,” will be overturned by the Court. Therefore, observers believe that Donald Trump is trying to win the battle of ideas by promising a return on investment for the American people.
“Donald Trump is a fraud!” »
But criticism of the $2,000 checks quickly emerged. “In case you didn’t understand: Donald Trump is a fraudster !, for example said Brett Meiselas, a progressive political analyst. He constantly promises riches at your fingertips. Get ready to receive dividends! We will take the gold from Fort Knox! Who’s ready to receive a check for $2,000 in import duties? We have 22,000 billion dollars for you thanks to our secret overseas deals! This is all lies! While he’s got something hanging on you, the only ones getting rich are him and his billionaire friends. »
Others do recall similar broken promises in the past. “You remember that one,” Brian Tyler Cohen, a political analyst, asked incorrectly on social networks, mentioning the American president’s announcement to return part of the profits earned by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) to the American people. The topic is no longer discussed at all today.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks did not convince the president’s critics. “A $2,000 dividend could take many forms. It could be the tax deductions provided for in the President’s program: tax exemptions on tips, overtime and social security contributions, old loan deductions… all big deductions. »
Some people, finally, realized the irony of giving back to America what had been taken from them on the other side. In fact, import duties are accused of driving up prices, forcing distributors and sellers to recoup lost margins from end consumers.
“He wants to provide stimulus checks because the economy is at rock bottom. Therefore, he wants to widen the deficit by 650 billion dollars. In other words, he wants to reproduce what he criticized Biden for, namely inflation!”
