Although President Trump's tariffs brought in less money in November, he has continued to make frequent promises about what he will do with the money.
Since the 2024 campaign, the president has proposed at least nine distinct uses for tariff money, according to Yahoo Finance's count.
From paying for the tax cuts that Republicans implemented this summer to handing Americans $2,000 tariff dividend cheques, it is a list of commitments.
At a rally in Pennsylvania last week, Trump expressed his feelings for tariffs to the audience by saying, "I love it more than any other word in the dictionary." He said that he only downplayed it in favor of other terms like family and religion at the request of the "fake news."
However, as the president gave in to Americans concerns about affordability and removed some duties on goods like coffee, oranges, and cocoa that had suffered price rises, the picture of tariff income has become much more hazy in recent weeks.
As a result, monthly tariff receipts dropped from $31.35 billion in October to $30.76 billion last month, marking the first decline since Trump started carrying out his historic second-term responsibilities.
Naturally, the Supreme Court's impending ruling might invalidate the majority of the new tariffs and even compel Trump to reimburse up to $100 billion.
The administration unveiled a $12 billion bailout package for farmers last week. According to the president, that money "would not be possible without tariffs." Economist Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute swiftly listed four more items that Trump has stated his tariffs would cover.
Lincicome cited Trump's pledge to use tariffs to pay down the national debt in addition to tax cuts, dividend checks, and farm bailouts. He also occasionally suggested that tariffs might result in the abolition of income taxes.
A sixth example was promptly brought up by a respondent: a Trump campaign pledge to use tariffs to pay for improved daycare. At a September event at the Economic Club of New York, he was asked about his suggestions for lowering the cost of daycare.
"The kind of numbers that I'm talking about by taxing foreign nations at levels that they're not used to,” he said, “are so much bigger than any numbers that we're talking about, including childcare."
Even more instances, including at the same Economic Club of New York event, can be found when examining Trump's campaign pledges and other plans after assuming office.
"Through all this money that will be taken in through tariffs and other intelligent things we'll have the greatest sovereign wealth fund of them all," he stated, implying that the funds may be used for other purposes.
According to reports, Trump has suggested creating a "victory fund" for Ukraine that would be funded by further duties on China due to its purchases of Russian oil.
Additionally, during the government shutdown, his administration used tariff money to provide a $300 million infusion to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
