Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: Mostly True (90% confidence)
The claim is substantially accurate. Official data shows the total US national debt rose from roughly $18.4 trillion in mid-2016 to approximately $38–39 trillion by late 2025/early 2026, which is more than a doubling. The minor qualification is that the exact 10-year window matters: using a 2015 start date (rather than 2016), the debt was closer to $18 trillion, and the doubling threshold of roughly $36–37 trillion was crossed around 2024–2025, making the claim accurate within a year or two of…
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