Today 9:05 am
It is worth recalling that in 2016, Trump vowed to eliminate the national debt within eight years. Instead, the gross national debt has approximately doubled since Trump assumed office; it stood at $19.9 trillion in January 2017. The national debt of the United States surpassed $39 trillion for the first time on March 18, 2026, reaching this alarming milestone less than five months after it first exceeded $38 trillion in late October 2025; a rate of increase that is unsustainable.