Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: Mostly True (85% confidence)
Official U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve data show that total federal public debt outstanding rose from approximately $18.15 trillion in late 2015 to approximately $34.87 trillion by late 2024, an increase of roughly 92% — nearly but not exactly doubled over a strict 9-year window. As Treasury daily data extended into 2025–2026 shows the total surpassing $38 trillion, the debt has crossed or is very close to the 2× threshold relative to 2015 levels, making the claim substantially accurate wit…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Pete hegseth uses cocaine — Unverifiable
- Pete hegseth is a drunk — Partly True
- September is a good time to see whales in the waters around Greenland — True
- In 1979 America was ranked #1 in education and 46 years later we are ranked #40 — False
- Over 1000 people are killed by US police every year. — Mostly True