President Trump announces $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ to US military
President Donald Trump announced that his administration will distribute $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” checks to military members before Christmas.
President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 17 that approximately 1.5 million U.S. military members will receive a $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” check this Christmas season.
President Trump said in a 9 p.m. broadcast from the White House, “Service members will receive a special payout before Christmas that we call the ‘Warrior Dividend.’ This is the Warrior Dividend in honor of our nation’s founding in 1776.” “The checks are already in the mail…No one deserves them more than our troops.”
President Trump suggested that the dividends would come from tariffs, saying, “We made a lot more money than anyone thought because of tariffs.”
The president’s announcement about military bonuses came during a 20-minute speech in which he wished the nation a Merry Christmas and touted the accomplishments of his administration so far, saying, “Seven months ago, I inherited a mess and I’m fixing it.”
His announcement comes as he faces declining approval ratings, mainly over his handling of the economy. The U.S. unemployment rate is at its highest level in four years, according to the latest employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many Americans remain wary that the president’s high tariffs will push up prices.
President Trump’s military bonuses are the latest of several steps the president has taken to provide support to the U.S. military. Among them is the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed by Congress and sent to President Trump in December 2025, which includes a 4% pay increase for military personnel. The legislation also includes $2.9 billion to fund the construction of new barracks and family housing, as well as increase investment in child care subsidies.
The president also previously signed into law the Veterans Home Loan Program Reform Act, which creates a partial charge program to help veterans who default on their mortgages avoid foreclosure.
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Act also provides a wide range of benefits to military personnel and their families, including $100 million in Department of Defense Effectiveness Funding to support the public schools that many military children attend.
Trump has garnered goodwill from the military and their families during both presidential terms. A 2019 Pew Research Center report found that U.S. military veterans largely support President Trump’s way of leading the military.
A Pew survey of military veterans found that a majority (57%) approve of the way President Trump is handling his duties as commander in chief, and about half (48%) say the Trump administration’s policies have strengthened the military. Pew found that veterans’ evaluations of the president on these and other military-related issues were more positive than those of the general public.
In the recent presidential election, most veterans voted for Trump. About 6 in 10 (61%) registered voters who said they served in the U.S. military or reserves supported former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in September 2024, about 37% supported Vice President Kamala Harris.
Not all of the Trump administration’s fiscal policies benefited the military. At a series of town halls in March, veterans angrily confronted Republican lawmakers defending budget cuts made under Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Office of Government Efficiency.
President Trump has made extensive use of the military during his second term, deploying troops off the coast of Venezuela and in U.S. cities. In response to the move, some military personnel are calling on other military personnel to resist the “unlawful orders.”
