Thread: Trump lashes out at media for failing to report debt decrease

Trump lashes out at media for failing to report debt decrease

Michael Collins , USA TODAY 11:42 a.m. ET Feb. 25, 2017

WASHINGTON – President Trump took to Twitter on Saturday morning to claim the media ignored some good news about his administration.

“The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo,” he tweeted.

In a follow-up tweet, he added: “Great optimism for future of U.S. business, AND JOBS, with the DOW having an 11th straight record close. Big tax & regulation cuts coming!”

Trump didn't indicate where he got the numbers, but some of his supporters have been making the same argument. The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website, published an article Thursday citing figures from the Treasury Department that show the national debt stood at $19,947 billion the day Trump took office but fell to $19,935 billion by Feb. 21 – a drop of $12 billion.

However, Business Insider reported the situations aren’t comparable.

While it’s true that the debt probably ticked down, “this is mostly due to the federal government rebalancing its intra-governmental holdings,” the publication reported. “Debt outstanding to the public has barely budged since Inauguration Day."

In addition, the federal government is still operating under the budget passed before Trump came into office, so even if the overall debt decreased, his administration had little to do with it, the publication said.

“Finally,” the Business Insider noted, “the economic circumstances during his and Obama's first month in office are vastly different and make the comparison totally off base.

“When Obama took office in January 2009, the country was in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The US economy lost 702,000 jobs in February 2009 and 832,000 in March 2009, GDP growth collapsed, and foreclosures soared.

“In response to this crisis, Obama did what presidents typically do during recessions: took on debt to stimulate the economy.”

The Congressional Budget Office projected national debt will grow by $9.4 trillion over the next decade, even without further spending.

But, “based on his campaign pledges, many analysts say Trump’s policies would be likely to significantly widen the budget deficit,” the Council on Foreign Relations reported Friday.

The report cited Trump’s promises to forgo any cuts to entitlements, rebuild the military, spend $1 trillion on infrastructure and cut corporate and individual taxes.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...ease/98400730/

Updated info @

Under Trump's watch, national debt tops $21 trillion for first time ever

UPDATED info @

Trump hasn’t ruled out raising the national debt to cut taxes

They call all of us, like The Gateway Pundit "Far-Right" which is code for KKK / Nazi / Fascists They are full blown socialists at USA Today these days.

Moved to Other Topics - not immigration related.

“The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo,” he tweeted.

So he wants praise for one month in 20 that he did good (though it wasn't yet a result of his polices, only anticipation)? It has gone up ever since, and that is not what he campaigned on!

Originally Posted by jtdc

So he wants praise for one month in 20 that he did good (though it wasn't yet a result of his polices, only anticipation)? It has gone up ever since, and that is not what he campaigned on!

No, it was 1 month in 1 month. This article is a year and a half old. You're confused about the timing because JD2 cross posts some current articles on an old thread so people click on it thinking it's something new when it's very old news.

Originally Posted by Judy

No, it was 1 month in 1 month. This article is a year and a half old. You're confused about the timing because JD2 cross posts some current articles on an old thread so people click on it thinking it's something new when it's very old news.

I have complained about JD1's posts before. I was aware that the article is that old, but the point is people like JD2 that have an agenda are only looking at that narrow scope. He knows how long it has been.

U.S. National Debt Clock July 2018



An Overview of the United States National Debt

The Current Outstanding Public Debt of the United States is:

$21,259,998,398,094.92

Last Updated: Monday, July 23rd, 2018


Every man, woman and child in the United States currently owes $69,975 for their share of the U.S. public debt






Public Debt: $15,535,663,966,290.66
Intragovernmental Holdings: $5,724,334,431,804.26

Total U.S. National Debt: $21,259,998,398,094.92


Question: Who owns the public debt?

Answer: Mutual funds, pension funds, foreign governments, foreign investors, American investors, etc.

Which Foreign governments own the most U.S. debt?

Answer: Here is the Top 10 (as of February/2018)

1. China, Mainland, $1176.7 billion dollars
2. Japan, $1059.5 billion dollars
3. All Other, $482.1 billion dollars
4. Ireland, $314.0 billion dollars
5. Brazil, $272.9 billion dollars
6. Cayman Islands, $252.2 billion dollars
7. United Kingdom, $250.5 billion dollars
8. Switzerland, $248.0 billion dollars
9. Luxembourg, $218.6 billion dollars
10. Hong Kong, $196.5 billion dollars

*Includes oil exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran

**includes countries such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands

Of the $5.1 trillion dollars of US debt that is owned by foreign governments, China and Japan own nearly half, as evidenced by this chart:




Growth of US Debt Over Past 50 Years

Current: $21,259,998,398,094.92
2010: $13,178,317,356,215.73
2004: $7,379,052,696,330.32
1999: $5,656,270,901,615.43
1994: $4,692,749,910,013.32
1989: $2,857,430,960,187.32
1984: $1,572,266,000,000.00
1979: $826,519,000,000.00
1974: $475,059,815,731.55
1969: $353,720,253,841.41
1964: $311,712,899,257.30
1959: $284,705,907,078.22






Commonly Asked Questions:

How much Money does the United States Owe China?

A: $1.18 Trillion (February/201

How much Money does the United States Owe Japan?

A: $1.06 Trillion (February/201

How much Money does the United States Owe Russia?

A: $93.8 Billion (February/201

How much Money does the United States Owe the United Kingdom?

A: $250.5 Billion (February/201

How much Money does the United States Owe Germany?

A: $78.5 Billion (February/201

How much Money does the United States Owe Canada?

A: $89.1 Billion (February/201

https://www.davemanuel.com/us-national-debt-clock.php

Originally Posted by jtdc

I have complained about JD1's posts before. I was aware that the article is that old, but the point is people like JD2 that have an agenda are only looking at that narrow scope. He knows how long it has been.

Your post didn't read that way, because you said Trump was asking for praise for 1 month out of 20, he wasn't asking for any praise, he was asking why the news didn't report the debt decrease, which at the time was only 1 month out of 1, not 20.

Some people like all the cross postings JD2 does. For people who read all or most of the articles, it's annoying, but for people who pop in once in awhile, it gives them a chance to read the history. I guess that's why he does it, but I don't really know. It takes a lot of effort to do what he does.