Fact Check: Trump trump 1st president to serve full term increase the deficit every year in office

Fact Check: "Trump 1st president to serve full term increase the deficit every year in office"

What We Know

Donald Trump served as the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021. During his presidency, the federal budget deficit increased each year. According to a report from the Joint Economic Committee (source-2), the deficit rose significantly due to a combination of tax cuts and increased government spending. Specifically, the report noted that the deficit increased from approximately $665 billion in 2017 to about $3.1 trillion in 2020, largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact and the associated spending measures.

Moreover, a detailed analysis by the A-Mark Foundation (source-8) indicates that Trump was indeed the first president to increase the deficit every year of his term. The foundation's report highlights that the deficit grew by 77% during his presidency, marking a significant increase compared to previous administrations.

Analysis

The claim that Trump was the first president to serve a full term while increasing the deficit every year is substantiated by multiple credible sources. The Joint Economic Committee provides a comprehensive overview of the economic conditions during Trump's presidency, detailing the annual increases in the federal deficit. Additionally, the A-Mark Foundation corroborates this assertion by comparing the deficit trends across various presidencies, confirming that Trump's administration did not experience any year of deficit reduction.

While some may argue that external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, played a significant role in the dramatic rise of the deficit in 2020, it is essential to note that the deficit had already been increasing in the preceding years. The Wikipedia entry (source-4) on Trump's economic policy also supports this claim, indicating that the combination of tax cuts and increased spending initiated during his administration contributed to the rising deficit.

In evaluating the reliability of these sources, the Joint Economic Committee is a bipartisan committee of the U.S. Congress, lending credibility to its findings. The A-Mark Foundation, while less known, provides a data-driven analysis that aligns with other reputable economic reports. Therefore, the evidence presented is robust and consistent across multiple sources.

Conclusion

Verdict: True
The claim that Donald Trump was the first president to serve a full term while increasing the deficit every year in office is accurate. The evidence from multiple credible sources confirms that the federal budget deficit rose each year during his presidency, culminating in a significant increase by the end of his term.