President Trump inherited a financial mess that’s ballooned beyond control. Ted Jenkin, president of Exit Stage Left Advisors, wrote Thursday that the national debt has soared past $36.5 trillion, with no slowdown in sight. He pins this on both parties, but especially the left’s addiction to government expansion and social programs.
Jenkin doesn’t sugarcoat the numbers. Interest payments alone hit $1.1 trillion yearly—15.6 percent of the budget—outpacing defense spending at $884 billion, or 12.5 percent. Add in healthcare and Social Security, and 73 percent of federal spending is locked in, leaving little room to maneuver.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has clawed back $100 billion, Jenkin notes. But that’s a drop in the bucket against a $40 trillion trajectory. Conservatives see Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation as vital, yet Jenkin warns even corporate tax hikes to 35 percent won’t dent this beast—revenue’s just 9 percent of the total.
The left’s Robin Hood fantasy—tax the rich, fund everything—falls flat, Jenkin argues. Democrats push deficits as if they don’t matter, while Republicans, despite fiscal talk, spent freely under Bush and Trump’s first term. Neither side’s faced the music, but Trump’s now in the hot seat to fix it.
Defense can’t be slashed easily—geopolitical threats loom large. Interest payments are a runaway train as rates rise, Jenkin says, like credit card debt spiraling a family into bankruptcy. Trump’s tariffs and efficiency drives aim to boost revenue, but the clock’s ticking toward insolvency.
Jenkin’s grim math shows the stakes. Healthcare, Social Security, defense, and interest—$1.67 trillion annually—eat up most of the budget. Raising individual or payroll taxes risks killing jobs and consumer spending, a cure worse than the disease for a nation Trump’s vowed to make great again.
Republicans demand action now. Posts on X blast Congress for ignoring this “terrifying” cliff—$40 trillion isn’t a maybe, it’s a when. Trump’s Tuesday address pushed tax cuts and competitiveness, but Jenkin says shaking the government for spare change isn’t enough.
The heartland’s furious. Biden’s spending spree left this mess; Trump’s fighting to clean it up. Conservatives say he’s the only one with the guts to slash waste, boost growth, and stare down a debt that threatens our kids’ future. This is America First—time to deliver or bust.
