• OfCourseNot@fedia.io
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    4 days ago

    First, obligatory disclaimer: I’m as anti-Trump as the next one, fuck that fascist turd. That being said let’s give them numbers a bit of context:

    • That figure is for all the time that Trump’s been in office, and in absolute terms is around $9.135T (as of May 2026, so a bit more now).

    • Some numbers for other presidents: Joe Biden $9.209T (+32%), Barack Obama $8.438T (+70.9%), George W Bush $4.218T (+72.6%), Bill Clinton $1.263T (+28.6%). Source.

    • At the current interest rate Americans are gonna pay $1T just in interests in 2026. That averages ~$250 per person, or ~$625 per tax payer a month.

    • Interest payments are forecast to double in the next ~10 years.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Thank you. This is good to know. It in no way means Trump isn’t absolute garbage and overall probably worse than any other president, but it does remind us of how fucking insane our government is about wasting the FUCK out of money on morally objectionable things.

    • skibidi@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      But this is a good thing, because the gov will borrow money with bonds to pay the higher interest, and rich people will buy those bonds to collect the yield. So we will really be doing our patriotic duty by funneling wealth ever upwards.

  • TheGoldenGod@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I still find it deeply depressing that this timeline was a joke in the Simpson’s back to 2000. We need a Lisa Simpson for Christ’s sake.

  • DupaCycki@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Bro represents less than 2.5% of presidents, and more than 25% of debt. Even adjusted for inflation - that is one crazy score.

    And this is while spending most of his time golfing. Imagine diaper donny at 100% power…

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Bro represents less than 2.5% of presidents, and more than 25% of debt.

      We’re undergoing an astronomical increase in private wealth, while the US Federal Government spends far in excess of tax revenues on programs that go directly into private pockets. Not a coincidence.

      But all this talk of “Historic Debt”. Nobody seems to want to ask “Who is holding the other end of the Treasury Notes?

      As often as not, its these trillion-dollar mega-corps. Mutual funds and private pensions hold roughly $5.5T. Private investors hold another $7T. Famously, during the 2008 crash, the bailed-out investment banks were taking loans out at sub-zero interest rates and throwing the money directly back into Treasuries yielding 3-4%, effectively giving them a multi-billion $ yield with zero risk simply to shore up their ruined balance sheets. Now they leverage those notes 10:1 to take big gambles on the tech sector and associated financial and real estate plays.

      This is how the ultra-rich make money in the modern economy. Your elected allies in the public sector just give it to you. And then you give them back a bag full of IOUs and empty promises about jobs growth.

      Imagine diaper donny at 100% power…

      Trump’s never been the brains behind the operation. He’s got Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, and Jared Kushner doing the looting and pillaging. And they’re as sharp as anyone in Trumpworld.

    • OfCourseNot@fedia.io
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      4 days ago

      Well, even for that, Trump is a fucking mediocre. Compare it to Obama, that raised the debt by a 70.9% during his two terms, Bush Jr 72.6%, Reagan 160.8%… but all of them get dusted by Roosevelt’s (Frank, of course, Teddy just got some unremarkable 22.6% increase) 791.8%. Source.

    • FRYD@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      Does he still go golfing? He took two tries to get a tic tac in his mouth at Lindsey Graham’s funeral.

  • jtrek@startrek.website
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    4 days ago

    Conservatives don’t care about facts or consistency. Their only value is “in-group good” and “out-group bad”. And, closely related, hierarchy is good and natural. That’s it.

    You tell them that they contradicted themselves and they’re confused, because in their world view they did not. They defended their team earlier, and they’re defending their team now. No contradiction.

  • Lovable Sidekick@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    It’s a longstanding tradition. Republicans call Democrats the “tax and spend” party, while Republicans themselves are the “don’t tax just spend” party. Last time the US had a budget surplus instead of a deficit was when Bill Clinton (D) was president. Last time before that was Harry Truman (D).

  • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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    3 days ago

    thats why its better to wait it out and never let interrupt the republicans when they are doing damage to themselves.

  • acargitz@lemmy.ca
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    4 days ago

    US national debt moral panic is meaningless so long as the USD is the world’s reserve currency. In fact the USD being the world’s reserve currency means the US has to have a huge national debt.

    • kungen@feddit.nu
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      4 days ago

      the USD being the world’s reserve currency means the US has to have a huge national debt

      No it doesn’t. The US doesn’t need to play into the Triffin dilemma.

  • DandomRude@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    This Twitter post says everything you need to know about the U.S.

    Edit: In case that isn’t clear: This shows very clearly why U.S. citizens will never be willing to put a stop to the oligarchs who rule their country, and why this country will become the next autocracy—following the example of Russia, a model that was made possible in the first place with the kind support of the U.S. billionaires under Clinton.

  • twinnie@feddit.uk
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    4 days ago

    This is one of those sensational figures I’m not sure about. I mean, he was in during COVID, I’m sure that didn’t help.

    • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
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      4 days ago

      Trump? Maybe it doesn’t seem as fucked up when he’s not constantly threatening to annex you and when you have an ocean in between you and Americans