Politics'When Did I Do That?': Donald Trump Caught Forgetting His Own $2K Tariff Check Promise as Health Rumor Swirl
Donald Trump appeared to forget his $2K tariff check promise, then clarified the payments are still planned.
Jan. 14 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Donald Trump appeared to forget a major policy promise during a recent interview with The New York Times.
The former president was asked about the $2,000 tariff rebate checks he had pledged to Americans, and his response surprised many.
Donald Trump appeared momentarily confused when asked about the $2,000 tariff rebate checks he promised.
White House correspondent for the outlet, Katie Rogers, asked the president on Sunday, January 11, "You've promised $2,000 checks to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can they expect those?"
Trump first appeared unsure, asking, "I did do that? When did I do that?"
The reporter quickly replied, "Well, I mean, your —," before Trump cut her off to say, "Yeah, I'm thinking. Well, I did $1,776 for the military."
This payout referred to when 1.5 million service members received a "Warrior Dividend" in December 2025 — courtesy of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.
The former president quickly clarified the payments are still planned, saying they’ll arrive later this year.
A second correspondent Tyler Pager once again asked when Americans will see their tariff checks.
Trump replied: "Well, I am going to. The tariff money is so substantial. That's coming in, that I'll be able to do $2,000 sometime. I would say toward the end of the year."
He also assured reporters that he would not need Congressional approval.
"No, I don’t believe we do. We have it coming in from other sources," he shared.
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He originally proposed the plan on Truth Social in November, promising most Americans a 'tariff dividend.'
Trump originally proposed the idea of a $2,000 "tariff dividend" on Truth Social on November 9, promising most Americans, except high-income earners, would receive the payments funded by tariffs.
"People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are now the Richest, Most Respected Country In the World, With Almost No Inflation, and A Record Stock Market Price. 401k’s are Highest EVER," he wrote on his social media platform.
"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. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone."
Budget experts have expressed skepticism, estimating the total cost could far exceed projected tariff revenue.
Budget experts have expressed skepticism, estimating the total cost could reach $600 billion, far more than projected tariff revenue.
However, in a November 24 Truth Social post, Trump said: "The amounts payable to the USA will SKYROCKET, over and above the already historic levels of dollars received. These payments will be RECORD SETTING, and put our Nation on a new and unprecedented course."
He also said Americans have not yet felt "the full benefit of the Tariffs."
