Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: Mostly True (90% confidence)
The claim is substantially accurate. Official Treasury data (via FRED) shows total gross federal debt grew from about $18.1 trillion in early 2016 to roughly $39.2 trillion by mid-2026 — a 117% increase, or about 2.17 times the starting level. That's more than doubled, not just barely doubled. The minor qualification is that the exact starting year matters: if '10 years ago' means 2014–2015, the debt was lower (~$17.8T), making the multiple even larger; if it means 2017, the debt was ~$18.6T, s…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
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