US debt surpasses $40 trillion threshold
The total U.S. government debt first reached $40.047 trillion on August 18, 2026, marking a historic milestone. It has doubled since the beginning of Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017, when it was approximately $19.95 trillion. Data reveals that the debt is divided between over $32.266 trillion in securities held by the public and $7.782 trillion owned by the government itself. Meanwhile, interest costs continue to rise, surpassing $963 billion—exceeding the $763 billion spent on military expenditure. This increase is attributed to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising fiscal deficits, with the budget deficit reaching $1.798 trillion during the first ten months of 2026, amid a spike in January 2026 to about $2.1 trillion. Projections indicate that the debt held by the public could reach 120% of GDP by 2036, with interest payments doubling to over a trillion dollars annually—placing increasing pressure on the government’s finances and future options.
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