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President Donald Trump is asked again about $2,000 tariff rebate checks and when they will arrive
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“I’m looking at it very seriously. I’m the only one who can do it because I’ve got hundreds of billions of dollars from tariffs…” Trump told NBC News
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Asked if he could “promise” Americans would receive checks, Trump responded: “I can do that. I haven’t made a promise yet, but I probably will.”
President Donald Trump says he can promise Americans will receive $2,000 tariff rebate checks, but he’s “not committed yet.”
during an interview NBC Nightly NewsOn Wednesday, February 4, anchor Tom Llamas, 46, asked Trump, 79, about “the idea of giving Americans $2,000 rebate checks from tariff revenue,” adding, “Who’s going to get that money, … and when is that going to happen?”
“We’re going to make it — I — I’m going to — I’m taking this very seriously,” Trump responded, according to a transcript from NBC News. “I’m the only one who can do it because I’ve got hundreds of billions of dollars from tariffs…”
“But can you guarantee that some Americans will get these checks?” Lamas asked.
“Oh, yes, of course. I can — I can do it. I haven’t made a commitment yet, but I probably will,” Trump said, before claiming he “just donated $1,776 to American military personnel.”
As Lamas pressed the president for clarification, Trump continued to discuss the “Warrior Dividend” program he and the Department of Defense announced on Dec. 18. Funding to pay for these checks comes from the Beauty Act, according to the White House.
“You know, that’s $1,775. They gave it to me because that’s what I put in the budget because I wanted to take care of our troops. No one takes care of our troops like I do,” Trump claimed, before mentioning that he added $1 to the amount to make it a “very famous date,” referring to the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Francis Chung/Politics/Bloomberg via Getty
The president was also asked about the tariffs and his statement about sending rebate checks to Americans in a January interview new york times” White House correspondents Katie Rogers and Tyler Pegg.
“You’ve promised to send Americans $2,000 checks based on your tariff revenue. When can they expect those?” Rogers asked in an interview published on January 11.
The president initially questioned her in the same vein, asking: “Did I do that? When did I do that?”
Rogers responded, “Well, I mean, your—” but Trump seemed to interject, “Yeah, I was thinking. Well, I did $1,776 for the military.”
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The pager then asked for the schedule. “When are those Americans going to get those checks?”
“Well, I will,” Trump replied. “The tariff money is pretty substantial. The money will come in quickly and I’ll make $2,000 at some point. I’d say the end of the year.”
Asked if Congressional approval was needed, Trump responded: “No, I don’t believe we do. We got it from other sources.”
People magazine had previously contacted the White House about tax refunds.
The president promised $2,000 tariff rebate checks in a Nov. 9 Truth Society post. “Investment in the United States is at an all-time high, with factories and mills being built everywhere. Dividends of at least $2,000 per person (excluding high-income earners!) will be paid to everyone,” he wrote at the time.
Read the original article on People
