We all have those moments where we walk into a room and forget why we are there.
But usually, we don’t forget promising an entire country free money.
President Donald Trump recently sat down with reporters from The New York Times, and things got awkward fast.
When pressed about his grand promise to send Americans $2,000 checks funded by his beloved tariffs, he drew a blank.
Reporters Katie Rogers and Tyler Pager asked him about the cash.
In audio posted to X, Rogers asked, “You promised $2,000 checks to Americans based off of your tariff revenues. When can —”
Trump’s response was comedy gold.
“I did do that? When did I do that?” he replied.
Yes, Donald. You did.
The Pivot Master
The exchange continued, and it was painful to read.
Rogers tried to jog his memory: “Well, I mean —”
Trump cut in with, “Yeah, I’m thinking — well, I did $1,776 for the military.”
Pager then asked the million-dollar question.
“When will those Americans get those checks?”
Trump went into his usual weave.
He claimed, “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.”
Sure. Maybe Santa will bring it next time.
The “Warrior Dividend” Scam
Let’s talk about that military money he was so proud of.
Just in time for Christmas, Trump announced $1,766 “warrior dividend” checks.
He claimed these were dividends from tariffs.
That was a lie.
According to Defense One senior reporter Thomas Novelly, citing a senior Trump administration official, the money came from elsewhere.
It came from “Congressionally-allocated reconciliation funds intended to subsidize housing allowances for service members.”
He raided housing funds and called it a bonus.
Classic MAGA math.
Don’t Bank On It
If you are waiting for that $2,000, you might want to get comfortable.
Top economic adviser Kevin Hassett tried to clean up the mess on CBS News.
He told Margaret Brennan, “I would expect in the new year the president will bring forth a proposal to Congress to make” the checks happen.
Note the word “proposal.”
Hassett admitted the cash “could come from tariff revenue.”
But he also admitted the reality of how government works.
“But in the end, we get taxes, we get tariffs, we get revenue from lots of places, and then Congress decides how to spend those monies that’s in appropriation. This would have to be money that’s an appropriation.”
Brennan summed it up perfectly.
“So, don’t bank on it, in other words,” she surmised.
The DOGE Delusion
This isn’t the first time we have been promised a magical payout.
Americans are still waiting for dividend checks from savings brought about by DOGE in the amount of $5,000.
Last February, Trump explained the plan.
He described it “as using part of the 20% savings identified by [Elon] Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and giving it back to taxpayers,” according to USA Today.
Where is that money?
USA Today reported that “no official plan or schedule for such a payout has been released, and a decision on the checks would have to come from Congress, which has so far been cool to the idea.”
It seems the check is always in the mail with this guy.
And the postage is due.
