Due to Trump, Every American Baby Bears a Debt of Rp1.9 Billion

The United States’ national debt has officially breached $39 trillion (Rp661.44 quadrillion) as of March 2026. The swelling debt follows a surge in spending due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. This burden adds pressure to budget priorities, from tax cuts and defence spending to debt management. As a note, the current US population stands at 342.62 million people. With the accumulating debt load, the per capita US debt now exceeds $113,875, or approximately Rp1.93 billion. This means that each US citizen or every newborn baby in the US will bear a debt burden of Rp1.93 billion. Of course, this is not in the literal sense, as the US debt will be paid from taxes and other revenues. Trump, the King of Debt The US government debt is recorded to have increased more rapidly at the start of Donald Trump’s second term compared to the early phase of his first term. This is evident from data published via FiscalData.treasury.gov, the official US government website managed by the US Treasury. One indicator used is Debt to the Penny, a daily record showing the total federal government debt. The rise in debt during the Trump era can be calculated by comparing total debt at two points in time. To see developments since the start of Trump’s second term, the debt position in December 2024 is used as the starting point, then compared to the position on 10 March 2026, where the latest debt data was released. Based on that data, the total US government debt at the end of December 2024 was recorded at $36.2 trillion. This figure then rose to around $38.9 trillion on 10 March 2026. Thus, in the first 14 months of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the US government debt increased by about $2.7 trillion. Converted at an assumed exchange rate of Rp16,960 per $1, the value is equivalent to around Rp45.792 quadrillion. If calculated per day, Trump is borrowing Rp110.6 trillion daily over 414 days since his inauguration on 20 January 2025 to 10 March 2026. The US government debt is recorded to have increased more rapidly at the start of Donald Trump’s second term compared to the early phase of his first term. The US, From Zero Debt to Accumulator Over the past two centuries or 200 years, the journey of US debt shows major changes in the direction of the economy, politics, and fiscal policy of the superpower. From a point where the US was nearly debt-free at the start of the 19th century, the Land of Uncle Sam now bears a massive debt burden. The result of two centuries of economic expansion, war financing, and stimulus policies during crises. The US is now the country with the largest debt burden in the world, surpassing the combined debt of several advanced countries like Japan, the UK, and France. In a global context, this debt surge also symbolises a change in the world’s fiscal era. From budget discipline to more aggressive deficit-based financing. Although often criticised for its reliance on borrowing, the strength of the US economy and the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency make this country’s fiscal position fraught with risk but still trusted by markets. From Jackson’s Reforms to World Wars In 1825, the total US government debt was only about $83.8 million, and it nearly vanished entirely under President Andrew Jackson in 1835, reducing it to just $34,000. Jackson paid off the debt through proceeds from public land sales and high import tariffs, but this extreme policy triggered the major crisis known as the Panic of 1837, one of the deepest recessions in US history. Entering the 20th century, debt rose sharply again with the financing of World War I in 1914, adding the burden to $2.9 billion, and it increased dramatically during World War II, which began in 1941, reaching $49 billion. After the war, fiscal expansion to fund development and social programmes caused debt to surge to $257 billion in 1950 and $533 billion in 1975, although the ratio to GDP temporarily declined thanks to rapid economic growth. Quantitative Easing and Debt Explosion The most significant surge occurred in the modern era. From $5.7 trillion in 2000, US debt ballooned nearly sevenfold in just the last 25 years. The 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic led the Federal Reserve to print trillions of dollars through quantitative easing (QE). This loose monetary policy, initially an emergency measure, has now become a permanent part of the central bank’s policy toolkit. This sharp increase indicates that the US is increasingly reliant on fiscal deficits to support economic growth and maintain financial market stability. Nevertheless, the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency provides relatively safe room for the US government to continue adding debt without triggering market turmoil.