Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: Mostly True (88% confidence)
The US national debt has more than doubled over any 10-year window ending in 2024–2026, depending on the exact start date chosen. The Fortune article from October 2024 directly reported total federal debt had doubled to $35.4 trillion, the U.S. Bank cited federal debt having 'roughly doubled over the past decade,' and the Joint Economic Committee confirmed gross national debt hit $38.40 trillion in December 2025. The slight qualification is that 'doubled' (exactly 100% growth) depends on the st…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Donald Trump Jr accepted a gift from a Russian oligearch — True
- European Union plans 200 million Euro investment in Greenland as a response to Trump's posturing — Mostly True
- Approximately 45% of the current Canadian population is made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants — Mostly True
- Recent job numbers increased faster than had been expected and are ahead of most analysts expectations — Partly True
- Medicare for all would cost trillions a year that Americans would pay through higher income taxes — Partly True