We showed Trump voters the national debt

We asked delegates at the Republican National Convention whether a second Trump term would address America's debt problem.

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America's national debt is out of control. More than $8.1 trillion was added to the gross federal debt under the Trump administration, according to U.S. Treasury Department estimates. (The Congressional Budget Office, which uses debt held by the public and excludes debt owed to government agencies, estimates that Trump signed legislation adding $7.8 trillion in publicly held debt over the next ten years.)

Reason's Zach Weissmueller asked delegates and attendees at the 2024 Republican National Convention whether Donald Trump is going to do anything about the debt should he be elected for a second term. Trump attacked his former primary opponents for suggesting even modest reforms to Social Security and Medicare, which make up almost a third of the federal budget.

So are Trump voters open to cutting entitlement spending? Or defense? Or increasing immigration to boost economic growth and improve tax revenues? What kinds of government programs would they want to see Trump cut?

Producer: Zach Weissmueller

Video Editor: Danielle Thompson

Music credits: "The Chase" by Aves via Artlist

Sources:

Gross Federal Debt

Federal Budget: The Federal Budget in Fiscal Year 2022: An Infographic