Fox’s Larry Kudlow Unimpressed With Trump’s ‘Hokey’ $2,000 Check Idea

Fox Business host Larry Kudlow criticized President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $2,000 tariff rebate checks to Americans ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

“We will be issuing dividends later on… probably the middle of next year, a little bit later than that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “Thousands of dollars for individuals of moderate income, middle income.” Last week, the president claimed that the checks, which require congressional approval, would be sent out “next year.”

Trump said the idea is to give Americans the tariff money that has been collected on imports.

On Tuesday’s Kudlow, the host welcomed Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) to the show and expressed opposition to the idea.

“I love giving money back to the people, but we do have a deficit issue and a debt issue,” Kudlow began. “And it’s a little hokey, you know, coming late in the midterm elections. Anyway, Senator, what do you think about it, honestly?

“Well, it sounded like a good idea,” Tuberville replied. “Two hundred billion dollars, Larry, we’ve taken in as of September the 1st of this past year.”

Tuberville went on to claim that the tariffs Trump unilaterally imposed “are working,” before immediately admitting that American farmers are “in trouble.”

“The tariffs are working, number one,” the senator continued. “Democrats screaming and yelling, ‘They’re not working. President Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing.’ Yes, they’re working. Now, if we’re gonna give money back, I want to start, number one, with our farmers. We have to save our farmers, because they’re in trouble.”

Kudlow replied, “I mean, really, Sir, if you use this money to pay down deficits and debt as a share of GDP or as an absolute value, you are actually returning money to taxpayers.”

Watch above via Fox Business Network.