# @benzinga on YouTube - **Type:** Video - **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=kHiztmY6VpI - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70717339-benzinga-youtube - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/799cb1d3d0.jpg - **Posted:** 2026-09-16T20:58:01.000+00:00 - **Account Owner:** Benzinga | News That Moves (@benzinga) โ€” https://gondola.cc/benzinga ## Caption President Donald Trump is defending his approach to the ballooning U.S. national debt, telling reporters last month that the country will simply grow its way out of the problem. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in late August, Trump said the debt has been a problem for 35 years, but argued the U.S. economy now has something it has never had before. "What we have now that we've never had before, we had a pretty good piece of it in my first term, as you know, is we have tremendous growth," Trump said. "And the way you take care of debt is with growth, and we have tremendous growth. We've never had growth like we have right now. The growth will take care of that very easily." The context behind the comments is significant. The U.S. national debt crossed $40 trillion for the first time on August 19, 2026, according to Treasury data. Debt held by the public is now roughly 101% of gross domestic product, a level last seen just after World War II, and the Congressional Budget Office projects it will climb to 120% of GDP by 2036 if current laws remain in place. The federal deficit is running at about $1.9 trillion in fiscal 2026 and is projected to hit $3.1 trillion by 2036. Trump's growth argument, however, runs into a challenge from the latest economic data. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, real GDP grew at an annualized rate of just 1.5% in the second quarter of 2026, down from 2.1% in the first quarter. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has echoed Trump's argument, telling CNBC there is nothing magic about the $40 trillion number and that the U.S. can grow its way out. But many independent economists are skeptical. Kent Smetters of the Penn Wharton Budget Model has called the grow-your-way-out strategy "virtually impossible" given the size of current deficits. History suggests growth can help. In the late 1990s, from 1998 through 2001, strong growth and spending restraint produced four consecutive federal budget surpluses, and debt held by the public fell by more than $450 billion. But those conditions have rarely been repeated. Interest costs on the debt are also projected to climb from about 3.3% of GDP in 2026 to 4.6% by 2036, according to the CBO, making the math harder over time. Video contains content via X users: @livenowfox, @indiatvnewsenglish. Photo of Trump via Shutterstock: Jonah Elkowitz. #NationalDebt #Trump #Economy ๐ŸŒ Find more market-moving insights at https://www.benzinga.com โ€” your one-stop destination for the latest financial news, data, and expert analysis to stay ahead of the markets. ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Want the same tools the pros useโ€”without the $10K Bloomberg terminal? Benzinga Edge gives you real-time portfolio alerts, weekly stock picks, and pro-grade research in one command center. ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://bit.ly/4unSKiB ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ๐Ÿ“ฒ Follow us on socials @benzinga ๐Ÿ”” Subscribe To The Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Benzinga ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ โš ๏ธ Disclaimer: Investing in financial markets carries risk, and there are no guaranteed returns. All information is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as financial advice. Always do your own research and speak with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Only invest what you can afford to lose. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. ## Stats - **Views:** 1,746 - **Likes:** 19 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 2 ## Credits No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post. ## Tags economy, trump, nationaldebt --- Copyright (c) Gondola