As of 7/30/2026, Debt Held by the Public was $32,035,731,397,438.63. This was about 5.5 months after it first hit $31 trillion.
I have a theory that this is no big deal that the debt is growing only arithmetically, not exponentially, and to prove it, we look at milestones in 2 year increments as they grow 4 trillion.
The debt held by the public first hit $28 trillion on 8/13/24, which is just under 2 years ago.
It first hit $24 trillion on 8/29/22, almost exactly 2 years before that.
And it first hit $20 trillion on 6/3/2020, slightly more than 2 years before that.
The opposite argument is that the debt is growing exponentially and doubling about every 8 years.
When did it first hit $16 trillion? On 11/30/2018. So it has doubled in less than 8 years.
When did it first hit $8 trillion? On 3/1/2010, slightly more than 8 years before that.
When did it first hit $4 trillion? It was $3.99 trillion on 10/31/2003, about 6.5 years before that.
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So what will this number be on 9/30/206, which is the end of the fiscal year. Under the first theory, it would be $52 billion. Under the second theory, it will be $64 billion.
