U.S. Debt: How Much Has It Increased During Which Period? Trump at the Top...
The U.S. total public debt surpassed 40 trillion dollars. Treasury data revealed the debt increases during the Obama, Biden, and Trump administrations.
The United States' total public debt surpassed the 40 trillion dollar threshold for the first time in history. According to the Treasury Department's "Debt to the Penny" dataset, the total debt reached $40 trillion, 47 billion, 425 million, 768 thousand, 420 dollars as of August 18.
Increase of $9.32 trillion during the Obama administration.
According to calculations based on Treasury data, the United States' total debt rose by about $9.32 trillion during Barack Obama's two terms. The debt was approximately $10.63 trillion when Obama took office in January 2009, and it climbed to about $19.95 trillion when Donald Trump first assumed the presidency in January 2017.
Increase of $8.47 trillion during the Biden administration.
During Joe Biden's presidency, the United States' total debt also rose by about $8.47 trillion. The debt was roughly $27.75 trillion when Biden took office in January 2021, and it reached approximately $36.21 trillion when he handed over the presidency to Trump in January 2025.
Increase of $7.81 trillion during Trump's first term.
During Donald Trump's first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021, the United States' total public debt rose by about 7.81 trillion dollars. During that period, the debt increased from approximately 19.95 trillion dollars to 27.75 trillion dollars.
Increase in the Second Term: 3.83 Trillion Dollars
In Trump's second presidential term, which began on January 20, 2025, the total debt rose by about 3.83 trillion dollars by August 18, 2026. Thus, when the increases in Trump's first and current second terms are considered together, the total rise reaches approximately 11.64 trillion dollars. This calculation is based on the sum of the roughly 7.81 trillion dollar increase in the first term and the roughly 3.83 trillion dollar increase in the second term.
The Numbers Show the Change in Debt
Those figures show how much the total federal debt changed during the presidents' terms. These data alone do not imply that the entire debt increase is attributable to a particular president's policies. Budget deficits, spending and tax legislation approved by Congress, economic conditions, and interest payments are among the factors that affect debt levels.
A New Record in Debt Was Broken
Treasury data show that the United States' total debt has risen sharply in recent years. The figures reveal that debt has increased by more than two trillion since 2017, and a new record was set when the 40‑trillion‑dollar threshold was surpassed in 2026. Of the debt, 32,266 trillion dollars is public debt, while roughly 7,782 trillion dollars is recorded as intra‑government debt.
Trump, Biden, and Obama Comparison
The change in total debt during their terms is roughly listed as follows:
Donald Trump: 11.64 trillion dollars Barack Obama: 9.32 trillion dollars Joe Biden: 8.47 trillion dollars
Trump's total figure consists of the sum of 7.81 trillion dollars from his first term and an increase of about 3.83 trillion dollars that occurred during his second term up to August 18, 2026. Therefore, the comparison takes into account that Trump’s second term has not yet finished.
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