Overview
- In a New York Times Oval Office interview, the president replied "When did I do that?" when reminded of the pledge before saying checks could arrive toward the end of the year.
- He said he had been thinking of a separate $1,776 "Warrior Dividend" that went to nearly 1.5 million service members in December.
- The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates broad $2,000 payments would cost about $600 billion, far exceeding projected tariff receipts.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he had not discussed a civilian rebate with the president and told Reuters that any court-ordered tariff refunds could be paid out over weeks or up to a year.
- Separately, the president announced a new directive imposing a 25% tariff on all trade with countries that do business with Iran.