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Washington Week with The Atlantic

Trump shrugs off $40T national debt after vowing he'd cut it

Season 2026 Episode 34 | 9m 46s

President Trump, who campaigned on reducing the nation's debt, faces a fiscal picture that has continued to deteriorate under his watch. The national debt soared to $40 trillion this week as the Iran war grinds on with no clear end in sight.

Major funding for “Washington Week with The Atlantic” is provided by Consumer Cellular, Otsuka, Kaiser Permanente, the Yuen Foundation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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