this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2025
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politics

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Trump says his tariff revenues will both pay down America’s $37 trillion debt and possibly fund a public “dividend,” but Treasury data shows they fall short of even covering monthly interest costs.

In exclusive interviews with Fortune, Wharton’s Professor Joao Gomes and AEI’s Desmond Lachman warned that while tariffs may slow debt growth, they won’t meaningfully reduce it.

Markets are largely skeptical of Trump’s math despite some unconventional revenue wins.

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[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago

LOL. The US debt increases by a TRILLION every hundred days. Nice try Trump. The only way to ever pay that back is to tax billionaires.

[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 day ago

Trump will be the first president under which a sovereign default will occur

[–] PillowD@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

He's fucking senile. Stop acting like every time he announces something that is never going to happen that it's going to happen.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So Republicans are going to massively increase the national debt by trillions of dollars and the money will be made up via the backs of the poor and working class.

Great plan, glad Americans voted for this...

We didn't. Some shady tech slipped the votes to TACOland (all swing States red? Don't believe their shit).

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Trump still thinks other countries pay Tariffs..

[–] mbrailer@mstdn.social 62 points 2 days ago (2 children)

@MicroWave Trump and his surrogates have said at different times that tariffs would (A) pay down the national debt and (B) increase domestic manufacturing.

But if (B) happens, then tariff revenue falls. And if (A) happens, it will mean manufacturing remained overseas.

These goals are perfectly contradictory.

[–] banshee@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

And if (A) happens, the money is not coming from the wealthy.

[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 day ago

Purposefully. The goal is to destroy any faith in a functional government so it'll be easier to absorb more power and steal everything they can.

[–] the_tab_key@lemmy.world 70 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Public dividend

I've got an idea! Let's raise taxes on everyone and then give them checks for 1% of it and call it a dividend!

Trump runs this country like I ran my cities in Sim City 2000 when I was 10.

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 11 points 1 day ago

Trump runs this country like I ran my cities in Sim City 2000 when I was 10.

By hitting the Start a Disaster Button?

One day massive tax increases?

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The national debt has been skyrocketing.

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

You see there's a bug where once the national debt reaches a certain treshold it turns into credit.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

If I owe you $20 that's my problem.

If I owe you $20M that's your problem.

[–] Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

You have to turn debt into debit and then flip everything to get credit. It's simple.

[–] WatDabney@sopuli.xyz 38 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Best guess - is he so stupid he believes this or so dishonest he pretends?

Yes, he lies literally non-stop, so that's always the safe bet, but with this tariff thing in particular, he seems to sincerely believe that they're some kind of magic, and he fairly obviously has no idea how they actually work. So it seems at least possible that he genuinely believes this.

Which would take a special kind of stupid, but if there's anyone capable of it, it's Trump.

[–] al_Kaholic@lemmynsfw.com 29 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Stupid? Would you consider someone who stares at the sun without eye protection or recommends drinking bleach to prevent diseases stupid?

[–] 13igTyme@piefed.social 7 points 2 days ago

Only the most stable genius.

[–] thedruid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Depends. who is recommending that to whom?

[–] einlander@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Stares at the sun during an eclipse. Need to make it explicit how dumb he is.

[–] redsand@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Krasnov does whatever he's been told recently. He doesn't give half a shit what's true. As in truely doesn't know or care what's true.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago

Based on his actual behavior, his marching orders have been to weaken the US seconomy, betray allies (especially in alliances that might constrain Russia), and destroy US soft power in science, education and culture.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

What I understand he has been fixed on tariffs since the 80's. Plus this also the man who bankrupted 3 casinos. And those are supposed to be guaranteed cash machines.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

And ultimately, for someone doing as much damage as Trump, questions of his intentions are irrelevant. He must be stopped.

[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Clown. country. 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[–] marsza@lemmy.cafe 4 points 2 days ago

Fascism is coming for Canada.

[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Last time all of the money went back to the farmers to silence them... It's not even a question of amount, they will never help the US budget because it will go towards businesses who complain about this and other ways Trump is fucking them.

[–] JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Worked in south america

oh no thats right it didn't

[–] nymnympseudonym@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yale economist interviewed by the NYT has a slightly more nuanced opinion:

"In a world where I think we are fiscally unsustainable, debt to gross domestic product is rising much too quickly. Part of the reason for that is the tax bill that was passed last month, but it’s rising. Finding ways to raise $3 trillion is a feat, and that’s just a fact."

(She estimates $3T from tariffs)

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wow, $3T is a lot for the American consumer to pay. Does that assume payment from places that have just decided to not do business at all with the US?

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 days ago

Tariff revenues come from the importers, so it assumes payment from the Americans who can no longer afford to import the now-too-expensive foreign goods.