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Federal debt increase during Trump presidency

The increase in federal debt during Donald J. Trump's presidency from 2017 to 2021, with various analyses reporting different numbers due to different baselines and definitions.

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Jan 16, 2026
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How much did debt held by the public change during Trump’s first term versus gross federal debt?

Debt held by the public rose by about $7.2 trillion over Donald Trump’s first four-year term, while gross federal (or gross national) debt rose roughly $7.8 trillion over the same period . Those headl...