MinnPost is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking here. Sign up for our newsletter for more stories straight to your inbox.
Yes.
The national debt on Jan. 19, 2017, the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated president, was $19,944,429,217,107.
On Jan. 19, 2021, the day before Joe Biden was inaugurated, the debt was: $27,752,835,868,445 — about $7.8 trillion higher.
As of July 14, 2023, more than halfway through Biden’s term, the debt had risen by another roughly $4.7 trillion, to $32,542,410,783,067.
When the government spends more than it takes in, it borrows to make up the deficit. The outstanding debt is the accumulated deficits from previous years.
The debt is a result of decisions made by a president and Congress during a president’s term, but also by decisions made by previous presidents and Congresses.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, made the statement about Trump and the debt during a July 11, 2023, interview with the website Wisconsin Right Now. Trump is also a candidate.
This fact brief, originally published by Wisconsin Watch, is responsive to claims such as this one.
Sources:
- FiscalData Debt to the Penny (custom date range search)
- Pew Research 5 facts about the U.S. national debt
- FiscalData Debt to the Penny (as of July 14, 2023)
- FiscalData Understanding the National Debt
- Wisconsin Right Now Florida Gov Ron DeSantis interview (3:10)
