The U.S. national debt has now surpassed $40 trillion. During Trump’s two terms, the national debt increased by roughly $11 trillion, more than under any previous president.

The statement contains two separate claims:

1. The debt had surpassed $40 trillion.

The available figures do not support this as of the stated current date. Fox Business reported a debt of approximately $39.52 trillion on July 17, 2026, while another tracker listed approximately $39.85 trillion on July 31, 2026. Fortune reported in March 2026 that the debt had crossed $39 trillion and projected that it would reach $40 trillion later.fortune.comfortune.comThe national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to...foxbusiness.comfoxbusiness.comNational Debt Tracker: American taxpayers (you) are now on the hook for...+1 more These figures indicate that the debt was approaching, but had not yet clearly exceeded, $40 trillion by August 1.

2. Trump’s two terms increased the debt by roughly $11 trillion, more than under any previous president.

The evidence does not establish this. For Trump’s first term, several sources place the increase at roughly $7.5–$8.2 trillion.propublica.orgpropublica.orgDonald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll... However, the supplied material does not provide a reliable, complete end-of-term figure for President Trump’s current second term; some sources describe only partial-term increases, including approximately $2.25 trillion during the first year back in office and roughly $2–$3 trillion by early or mid-2026. Adding these rough figures could produce an amount near $10–$11 trillion, but that calculation is not a verified full two-term total and depends on inconsistent dates and measures. The comparative claim is also unsupported. The Reddit summary says Trump’s first-term increase was smaller in percentage terms than increases under Presidents Obama and George W. Bush. AP’s fact-checking reports that comparisons depend on whether one measures absolute dollars or percentage growth and notes that George H. W. Bush had a larger percentage increase than Trump.apnews.comapnews.comFACT FOCUS: Who’s to blame for the national debt? It’s more complicated than one... Neither source establishes that Trump’s combined two-term dollar increase is definitively greater than every previous president’s. Debt changes also cannot be attributed solely to a president: Congress authorizes spending and taxation, while economic conditions, emergency legislation, interest costs, and inherited policies affect the total. AP specifically emphasizes that responsibility is shared and that comparisons require consistent start and end dates.+6 more