Economics

Trump Wants Credit for Cutting the National Debt. Economists Say Not So Fast

  • Debt can fluctuate by billions a day as spending, income vary
  • President notes $12 billion debt reduction in first month

President Trump Preps Budget, Message to Congress

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President Donald Trump asked on Twitter why the media hasn’t reported that the national debt has dropped since his inauguration. One explanation, some economists said: Trump couldn’t have had anything to do with it.

“Anything that has happened to the debt has been on autopilot since Obama left," said Laurence Kotlikoff, an economics professor at Boston University. “If anything, he is taking credit for something Obama did."