US national debt tops $40 trillion for first time, dealing blow to Trump

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 01:50 Issued on: 20/08/2026 - 15:28 The US gross national debt has surged past $40 trillion for the first time, government data showed Wednesday, outstripping earlier forecasts at a pace fuelled in part by President Donald Trump's invalidated tariffs. The uptick in borrowing is a blow to Trump, who promised to cut public spending during his 2024 presidential campaign, and sparked a backlash from US representatives across the political field.