U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to distribute at least $2,000 per person from tariff revenues to most Americans, excluding high-income individuals. The statement on Truth Social triggered a rally in cryptocurrency prices, with Bitcoin climbing above $103,000. This comes amid a weekly slump in the market and ongoing debates over the feasibility of the proposal.
On November 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about using tariff revenues to fund a dividend for Americans. "A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone," Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. is generating "trillions of dollars" from tariffs to reduce the nearly $38 trillion national debt.
The announcement followed Trump's earlier comments in October, where he floated rebates of $1,000 to $2,000 from tariff proceeds. Tariffs generated about $150 billion in the fiscal year ending September, according to Treasury data, though Trump anticipates over $1 trillion annually.
Cryptocurrency markets reacted positively. Bitcoin rose 1.93% to above $103,000, Ether increased 4.75% to over $3,500, and Solana gained 2.49% to top $160. The CoinDesk 20 index climbed more than 1.5%, recovering from a nearly 15% weekly drawdown, with Bitcoin down 5.7% and Ether down 7.5% for the week.
Analysts linked the surge to potential stimulus-like effects, reminiscent of COVID-era checks that boosted crypto from Bitcoin's $3,800 low to $69,000 in 2021. "Crypto surges after President Trump announces $2,000 tariff 'dividends' to be paid out to Americans," posted The Kobeissi Letter on X. Pete Rizzo, a bitcoin historian, quipped on X, "‘Like’ if you’ll be buying bitcoin with your $2,000 Trump tariff stimulus."
However, experts highlighted challenges. The plan requires Congressional approval, as federal spending decisions rest with the legislative branch, noted Andy Constan of Damped Spring Advisors. Erica York of Federal Tax Policy estimated costs near $300 billion for 150 million adults if the income cutoff is $100,000, but net tariff revenue is around $90 billion after economic effects. Legal challenges to Trump's tariffs add uncertainty to swift implementation.
