Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: Mostly True (88% confidence)
The total US federal debt has roughly doubled over the past decade, though the exact 10-year window and starting point matter. From mid-2014 to mid-2024, the debt grew from roughly $17.6 trillion to about $35 trillion — an increase of around 99%, essentially doubling. A Fortune article from October 2024 explicitly noted the total federal debt had doubled to $35.4 trillion over the prior 10 years. The claim is broadly accurate but the precise percentage depends on which 10-year window you pick:…
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