As America’s national debt approaches a staggering $38 trillion, an increasing number of investors are considering Bitcoin and gold as safer alternatives. Recent data indicates that the national debt has surged by almost $69,890 every second, which translates to nearly $4.2 million per minute over the past year, as per the US Congress Joint Economic Committee debt dashboard.
This astronomical rise amounts to about $6 billion each day, exceeding the gross domestic product of over 30 nations, based on information from Worldometer.
Debt Trends
Change in America’s national debt over the last 12 months, measured in certain time intervals. Source: US Congress Joint Economic Committee
On Friday, US Representative Keith Self stated that the debt is projected to surpass $38 trillion in just weeks and may reach $50 trillion within the next ten years, calling for urgent action:
“Congress must act now — demand fiscal responsibility from your leaders before the gradual slide becomes a sudden collapse.”
*Translation: “Congress must act now — demand fiscal responsibility from your leaders before the gradual slide becomes a sudden collapse.”
Current projections indicate that the US will exceed $38 trillion within the next 20 days.
Investors Turn to Bitcoin and Gold
Last week, JPMorgan described Bitcoin (BTC) and gold as the “debasement trade” amid rising uncertainties surrounding the dollar. This scenario unfolded as Bitcoin reached a record high of $125,506 last Saturday, and gold achieved a new peak of $3,920 on Sunday.
The limitations on Bitcoin’s supply and its decentralized nature have garnered further interest from institutional investors, including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who notably remarked in January that Bitcoin may reach $700,000 due to currency debasement fears.
Furthermore, Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, advised in July that investors allocate 15% of their portfolios to hard assets like Bitcoin or gold for an optimal return-to-risk ratio.
Global Debt and Trump’s Strategies
Dalio noted that not only the US, but other Western countries such as the UK face significant “debt doom loops,” forecasting that their currencies will likely lag against Bitcoin and gold, which he views as effective diversifiers. Recently, Reuters reported that by the second quarter, global debt had surged to a record $337.7 trillion, driven by quantitative easing and a weakened US dollar.
Conversely, efforts during Trump’s administration focused on curbing federal spending and reducing the deficit. For several months, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, collaborated with the government to improve efficiency and has allegedly saved $214 billion thus far. Yet, despite signing the “Big Beautiful Bill Act” aiming to save over $1.6 trillion in federal expenditure, Trump’s policy may have inadvertently contributed to exceeding the $37 trillion mark in national debt, which is projected to cost an additional $3.4 trillion over the next ten years.
“Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the debt just officially passed the $37 trillion mark.”
Translation: “Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the debt just officially passed the $37 trillion mark.”
