Trump Promised to Eliminate National Debt in Eight Years. Good Luck With That

Last April, lunching amid construction debris at his new hotel five blocks from the White House, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told the Washington Post he would get rid of the national debt “over a period of eight years.” It may have been the boldest promise he’s ever made, considering the U.S. hasn’t been debt-free since 1835. The debt at the time was more than $19 trillion, and rising. Trump predicted he could turn back the tide even though he thought the country was headed for a “very massive recession.”

Now that he’s in the White House (and his hotel is open), he has a chance to make good on his commitment to wipe the slate clean. But there’s little evidence to date he’ll even make a serious stab at debt reduction. The real question is how much the debt will increase during his term—or terms—in office. Based on what we know of his tax and spending goals, it appears likely to grow even faster under Trump than it was projected to rise before he took office.