In an Oval Office exchange Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump stunned reporters by revealing that his administration is literally discovering piles of forgotten cash—and he says it’s all thanks to his signature tariffs.
While fielding a routine question about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trump brushed off the premise with his usual bluntness. Reporters tried reminding him the pact won’t be up for renewal until 2036, but Trump didn’t miss a beat.
“Mexico and Canada have taken advantage of the United States like just about every other country,” Trump snapped, adding that Washington had been run for decades by “a lot of stupid people”—the very people, he says, who helped create America’s staggering $38 trillion national debt.
Then came the Trumpian curveball.
According to the president, his tariff strategy is already turning into a gold mine. “The beautiful thing about the tariffs is we’ll start paying off that debt,” he insisted. He described officials scrambling to explain why an unexpected $30 billion had suddenly appeared.
“‘Where did it come from?’ I said. ‘Why don’t we check the tariff shelf?’” Trump recounted. At first, advisers told him that particular tariff “hadn’t started yet.” Trump said he corrected them—“No, it started two months ago,” he told them—after which they called him back to admit, “Sir, you’re right. It was from tariffs.”
Trump used the moment to argue that his aggressive trade agenda is transforming the country’s finances—“Now we have a whole different country,” he declared.
But in classic Trump fashion, he later turned his attention to a looming legal battle. The Supreme Court is currently weighing whether a president can unilaterally impose broad tariffs. Even some justices appointed during Trump’s own first term appeared skeptical last month.
Trump didn’t hold back.
“I hope the Supreme Court, I pray the Supreme Court understands the importance,” he said, warning that limiting presidential tariff powers would be “country-threatening.” He dismissed the plaintiffs challenging the policy as “bad people.”
President Trump in the Oval Office on December 3, 2025 announces a halt to the “Green New Scam,” and democrat burdensome restrictions on auto consumers:
President answers questions from reporters… pic.twitter.com/xlDwTFTJTk
— Shannon Ford 🇺🇸 (@shannonfordUSA) December 4, 2025
