Trump says his tariff revenues will both pay down America’s $37 trillion debt and possibly fund a public “dividend,” but Treasury data shows they fall short of even covering monthly interest costs.
In exclusive interviews with Fortune, Wharton’s Professor Joao Gomes and AEI’s Desmond Lachman warned that while tariffs may slow debt growth, they won’t meaningfully reduce it.
Markets are largely skeptical of Trump’s math despite some unconventional revenue wins.
You see there’s a bug where once the national debt reaches a certain treshold it turns into credit.
You have to turn debt into debit and then flip everything to get credit. It’s simple.
If I owe you $20 that’s my problem.
If I owe you $20M that’s your problem.