Trump gives troops a $1,776 holiday bonus

President Trump announced Wednesday night that all members of the military will receive a $1,776 "warrior dividend," while touting his tariffs and economic policies more broadly.Why it matters: The president's move signals an attempt to connect with working-class families as the administration tackles an affordability problem that has been hurting Republicans in recent elections. What they're saying: "Tonight, I am also proud to announce that 1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call, a 'warrior dividend' before Christmas," Trump said in his speech."In honor of our nation's founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that, and the checks are already on the way.""We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs, and the [Big Beautiful] Bill helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody."Between the lines: The payments total to around $2.5 billion of the administration's $200 billion+ tariff revenue haul this year, but it's unclear how the administration will appropriate the funds without prior approval from Congress. Go deeper: Trump's approval rating on the economy hits record low 31%