Methodology Notes

Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted. A dollar added in 1981 is not equivalent to a dollar added in 2024. Unadjusted figures mechanically favor recent presidents because both the economy and the debt are far larger now.

Inauguration-day snapshots. Figures use Total Public Debt Outstanding on inauguration day, per Congressional Research Service tracking. Fiscal-year-end (Sept. 30) snapshots yield slightly different numbers.

First-year figures are partly inherited. Budgets and appropriations run on a lag. Early months of any term operate under levels set by the prior administration and Congress.

Congress controls appropriations and revenue law. These figures describe what happened during each presidency, not sole responsibility.

Unusual term boundaries. Presidents such as Nixon and Ford have years-in-office numbers that are standard term-boundary approximations.

24/7 Wall St.

Obama Added $1.17 Trillion Per Year To The National Debt...

Raw totals tell one story about Obama's debt legacy, but ranking presidents by annual pace reshapes the list in ways most people never see. Three terms sit above him, and two belong to the same presid

Trump is only 590 days into his second term... so there's plenty more wasteful spending yet to come.

It's VERY simple. It is the job of the leader of the country to lead. Trying and not is failing. If he can't do it, he is the wrong guy period. Exactly what I predicted pre-election and you morons didn't believe. Sad.

36 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

It's VERY simple. It is the job of the leader of the country to lead. Trying and not is failing. If he can't do it, he is the wrong guy period. Exactly what I predicted pre-election and you morons didn't believe. Sad.

Simple?! No, what you predicted exactly was that Trump was going to lose, and lose big time. You gotta be some special kind of stupid to think being a president running the country is “simple”. More than half the country, whether you believe it or not, believes that the country is being led in a better direction by Trump. And for reasons that we have mentioned multiple times. Reasons that you give him no credit for. Reasons that no previous president has made any measurable impact on. What is that you said you do for a living? I am honestly curious not that I expect you to even dance around the edges about what it is. I just find it hard to believe that you were any position in a management capacity.. cause wow

Edited September 2Sep 2 by DriftBusta

43 minutes ago, racer254 said:

Yes spending cuts. Trump tried to increase revenues with tariffs, but karen, sheephaven all rally against it. So just spending cuts

do you know anything about how tax revenue or tariffs actually work moron?

Using tariff revenue to pay down the national debt requires an act of Congress, but total tariff collections fall far short of erasing the nation's historic U.S. debt topping $40 trillion. [1, 2]

How Tariff Revenue Works

• Collections: President Donald Trump's tariffs raised $264 billion in calendar year 2025, up from $79 billion in 2024. [1]

• Legal Setbacks: In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a major portion of these tariffs was implemented illegally under emergency powers, forcing the government to refund over $100 billion to importers. [1, 2]

• Deficit Impact: Before the court ruling, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the tariffs could reduce future deficits by roughly $2.8 to $4 trillion over a decade. [1, 2]

The Scale of the Debt

• Total Debt: The U.S. national debt surpassed $40 trillion in August 2026. [1]

• Income Tax Comparison: Individual income taxes bring in trillions of dollars each year, while customs duties raise a much smaller fraction. [1]

• Economist Warnings: Fiscal watchdogs, including the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, point out that tariff revenue alone cannot pay off the massive national debt or fully replace federal income taxes. [1, 2]

Congressional Proposals

• The TRUST Act: Lawmakers have introduced ideas like the Tariff Revenue Used to Secure Tomorrow (TRUST) Act. [1]

• Dedicated Funds: This proposed legislation aims to create a special Treasury account to capture extra tariff money and use it strictly for deficit reduction. [1]

• Need for a Vote: Money collected by the government goes into general funds unless Congress explicitly passes a law to dedicate those specific dollars toward paying down the national debt. [1]

so... not only did Congress not vote for the Trump tariffs, they also didn't pass a law to direct the Trump's tariffs dedicating those funds to pay the debt.

and lastly...

Just now, DriftBusta said:

More than half the country, whether you believe it or not believes that the country is being led in the correct direction by Trump

please provide a link or some colored ai generated evidence for this bold claim

edit.... here, I did it for you moron

Edited September 2Sep 2 by Crnr2Crnr

Just now, Crnr2Crnr said:

please provide a link or some colored ai generated evidence for this bold claim

That’s my opinion. I don’t take homework assignments from the likes of you. You should know this by now. Didn’t you say that the Republicans were gonna get blown out in the midterms what I remember is predicting that they were going to hold the house and the Senate. I would think the midterm should be the best evidence of who is right

Edited September 2Sep 2 by DriftBusta

1 minute ago, DriftBusta said:

That’s my opinion. I don’t take homework assignments from the likes of you. You should know this by now.

your opinion is fucking wrong...

Edited September 2Sep 2 by Crnr2Crnr

5 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

your opinion is fucking wrong...

Why don’t you go work on your rock art. You’re starting to bore me with your discussions via AI. Christ, give a guy a computer thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. They used to just call it Google. Now AI is supposedly the be all end all in your mind. Maybe reach back out in November after the Republicans hold onto the house and Senate. Because of Trump is so hated, it’s a pretty safe bet that they will get swept out.

Edited September 2Sep 2 by DriftBusta

3 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Why don’t you go work on your rock art. You’re starting to bore me with your discussions via AI. Christ, give a guy a computer thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. They used to just call it Google. Now AI is supposedly the be all end all in your mind. Maybe reach back out in November after the Republicans hold onto the house and Senate. Because of Trump is so hated, it’s a pretty safe bet that they will get swept out.

oh, you poor thing... maybe you can run next door to your safe space

2 minutes ago, Crnr2Crnr said:

oh, you poor thing... maybe you can run next door to your safe space

Poor me? I’ve seen your landscaping.

43 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Simple?! No, what you predicted exactly was that Trump was going to lose, and lose big time. You gotta be some special kind of stupid to think being a president running the country is “simple”. More than half the country, whether you believe it or not, believes that the country is being led in a better direction by Trump. And for reasons that we have mentioned multiple times. Reasons that you give him no credit for. Reasons that no previous president has made any measurable impact on. What is that you said you do for a living? I am honestly curious not that I expect you to even dance around the edges about what it is. I just find it hard to believe that you were any position in a management capacity.. cause wow

You pick leaders that can lead. He can't lead. That is sad. It is exactly what his role is.

I have already stated what I do. I am the CEO of a tech company, and whether you believe me or not is your problem. In my position, if my executives do not align, I do not blame them, I take responsibility and negotiate an alignment. Win or lose, the buck stops with me. Trump is in that exact same boat, he needs to find a way to get it done. Plenty of guys here have ridden and drank with me and know my LinkedIn. Keep thinking I am lying if it makes you feel better, it just makes your ignorance easier to laugh at.

24 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Poor me? I’ve seen your landscaping.

yes, poor you with all your feelings and opinions... and obviously, a vagina

Racer Feeb and Woolenstein…the duo we didn’t ask for but fortunately we have.😂

41 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

You pick leaders that can lead. He can't lead. That is sad. It is exactly what his role is.

I have already stated what I do. I am the CEO of a tech company, and whether you believe me or not is your problem. In my position, if my executives do not align, I do not blame them, I take responsibility and negotiate an alignment. Win or lose, the buck stops with me. Trump is in that exact same boat, he needs to find a way to get it done. Plenty of guys here have ridden and drank with me and know my LinkedIn. Keep thinking I am lying if it makes you feel better, it just makes your ignorance easier to laugh at.

Oh. Sorry, I obviously missed it when you stated what you do. A tech company. That really narrows it down.

9 minutes ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

Racer Feeb and Woolenstein…the duo we didn’t ask for but fortunately we have.😂

“We”. Damn, I already thought that DerpHaven was the forum spokesman.

Simpletons unite! You can have the other we.

12 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Oh. Sorry, I obviously missed it when you stated what you do. A tech company. That really narrows it down.

He forgot to mention the gamechanger. Again. Lol.

4 minutes ago, ArcticCrusher said:

He forgot to mention the gamechanger. Again. Lol.

I don’t read every thread in here and honestly never heard what it is that he did for a living except regularly tell everyone how important he was. I missed the game changer comment too apparently. All I know for a CEO the travels all the time he sure has a lot of time on his hands and has the worst case of last word -itis I have ever seen.

5 hours ago, DriftBusta said:

Oh. Sorry, I obviously missed it when you stated what you do. A tech company. That really narrows it down.

You only want specifics to dig into my life. If there is something relevant I am glad to share, but your intent is obvious otherwise you would have asked a different question.

5 hours ago, ArcticCrusher said:

He forgot to mention the gamechanger. Again. Lol.

Jealousy abounding from the simpletons. Keep it up Lloyd and post something new. Your thread needs an update

4 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

You only want specifics to dig into my life. If there is something relevant I am glad to share, but your intent is obvious otherwise you would have asked a different question.

No dude. I could not care any less about your personal life or would ever want to cause you any problems. I've been on the receiving end of that from a couple malevolent assholes like Zoso and HSR in the past. I just find it interesting that a supposed CEO would post some of the shit you do and be so obsessive with the last word thing. My old man used to have a saying about some people having a 10 cent job with a 2 dollar title. You sound a little like that.

Edited September 3Sep 3 by DriftBusta

You should look at things from the other direction once. It'd be enlightening.

Karen, Is this the same congress that got the USA 40 trillion in debt? But now they are who you want to make decisions for you? Bipolar wausau wart

20 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

You should look at things from the other direction once. It'd be enlightening.

No backpedal. And always. And take your own advice.

Unlike you I always do. Exactly why I point out your nonsense.

15 hours ago, Skidooski said:

And the next POTUS will continue the trend albeit D or R. We will never get out of debt and we are probably not supposed to get out either

As long as we got paper, ink & working printers...