With rising national debt, USA’s president-elect Donald Trump faces an uphill battle. The country's national debt has now crossed $36 trillion, which is around 125% of the country’s GDP.

This translates to every citizen of the country under a debt of over $1,00,000.

As Trump takes over the office this January, his focus would lie on paying interest rates on the loans. According to Fortune, $1 of every $5 that the US government spends is to repay the borrowed money.

Trump’s ambitious policy changes could be hampered by this debt, and experts believe that rising debts will also take away from the federal money allotted for education, health, and other welfare departments.

The US debt rose to $36 trillion in 2024 from $5.7 trillion at the turn of the century.

Trump has also been vocal about cutting the taxes, which may add to worsening the situation further, as less income for the government would mean faster emptying of government funds paid to borrowers.

On the other hand, the 78-year-old Republican candidate has also been vocal about cutting tariffs on certain sectors and cutting down the flow of money to certain government departments. The formation of the DOGE – Department of Government Efficiency, is one such attempt to cut down expenses.

The US federal government's total public debt surpassed $35 trillion for the first time this July, according to the data by the Treasury Department. In December 2023, it stood at $33 trillion.

“The borrowing just keeps marching along, reckless and unyielding,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in a statement. “Yet despite all the risks and warning signs, these alarm bells seem to be falling on deaf ears.”

“We are going to have to get serious about the debt, and soon. Election years cannot be an exception for trying to prevent completely foreseeable dangers – and the debt is one of the major dangers we are facing,” MacGuineas had said.

According to the Peter G Peterson Foundation, a nonpartisan organisation focused on addressing US long-term fiscal challenges, the national debt of $35.001 trillion translates to $1,03,945 of debt per person in the US.

“Our deficits are caused mainly by predictable structural factors: our ageing baby-boom generation, rising healthcare costs, and a tax system that does not bring in enough money to pay for what the government has promised its citizens,” the foundation said.

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