Fact-check: “Public debt in the U.S. now exceeds $40 trillion dollars”
Verdict: True (95% confidence)
Treasury Department daily data shows total public debt outstanding (gross federal debt, including both debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings) reached $40,047,425,768,420.22 on August 18, 2026 — the first time it crossed $40 trillion. Multiple independent outlets citing Treasury's daily statement confirmed this figure, and subsequent data shows it has remained above $40 trillion since then. The narrower 'debt held by the public' measure is around $32.3 trillion, not $40 trillion…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Nvidia earnings are about to be released and investors are anxious to see the results, especially the forecast numbers — Mostly True
- Buffa frogs emit a toxin that can be a danger to dogs — Mostly True
- Donations to Let's Feed The Children are multiplied by 8 — Unverifiable
- Fauci never told anyone that schools should be closed — False
- Orca whales are not dangerous animals — Misleading