Episode
Trump: No Income Tax in 2026!
- Podcast
- The Power Of Zero Show
- Published
- Jan 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 528
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Summary
This episode revolves around President Donald Trump's claim that, due to the massive tsunami of tariff revenue that's flowing into the U.S. coffers, Americans won't have to pay income tax in 2026. David McKnight looks at the 2025 fiscal year: the Federal Government spent about $7 trillion and brought in about $5 and a quarter trillion in revenue. While breaking down the math related to the 2025 fiscal year, David points out that "Revenue from income taxes is the single largest source of Federal revenue", while "Tariffs, by contrast, are one of the smallest." Even Trump's own economic team, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, has said that in an extremely optimistic scenario, tariff revenue might someday reach $500 billion a year – which is only about ⅕ of what gets collected in income taxes. By looking at the numbers, it's clear that the proposed tariff-funded $2,000 check for each of the 340 million Americans wouldn't work: it would cost roughly $680 billion against a tariff revenue that only amounts to $195 billion… David clarifies a key point about tariffs. They're not paid by foreign governments, they're paid by U.S. importers. In other words, tariffs are simply a tax on consumers. There's an additional problem that shouldn't be overlooked. Not only do tariffs not generate enough revenue, but they can also lead to retaliation by other countries imposing their own tariffs on American exports. This means that an American effort to try to raise trillions of dollars through tariffs could end up costing heavily on its own people. David is crystal clear: While these types of claims make for great sound bites, the federal budget still has to obey the mathematical laws of the universe, and the math makes it clear: There's no world in which tariffs could ever elimin…