WHY NOT BOTH?

Trump Wants Deficit Cuts—But Pushes For More Spending: WaPo

The president has reportedly suggested just printing more money to solve the deficit issue.

President Trump has reportedly baffled aides by calling for reductions to the national deficit while at the same time increasing spending for the border wall and an infrastructure spending package, according to a Sunday report from the Washington Post. After he learned last month that the deficit increased sharply in the previous 12 months, Trump reportedly demanded that top advisers develop plans for cutting back government spending. But he also warned that the military, Medicaid, and social security were largely off-limits, which has kneecapped efforts to carry out his wishes. The Post notes that it remains unclear if Trump truly understands the scope of the problem. He reportedly often conflates debt, the amount the country owes, with the deficit, the difference between the government’s expenses and its revenue. One former senior administration official also claimed that Trump repeatedly told National Economic Council director Gary Cohn to just print more money. “He’d just say, run the presses, run the presses,” the unnamed source said. “Sometimes it seemed like he was joking, and sometimes it didn’t.” 

DEEPER SHADE OF RED

U.S. Government Deficit Grew 17% After Trump’s Tax Cuts