Look at who has been in the White House when deficits have gone down and you might realize you were actually on to something.
US Deficit by President: What Budgets Hide
Let's go back 40 years to Jimmy Carter.
His average deficit stay ed roughly the same throughout his 4 years in office. It averaged roughly $60 billion.
Ronald Reagan takes office and the deficit immediately doubles and more than triples in some cases. There are years it exceeds $200 billion, though by the end it is "only" $153 billion.
George H. W. Bush continues the increasing debt trend under Republicans and has $200+ billion deficits every year of his presidency, going as high as $290 billion.
Bill Clinton is the first Democratic President in 12 years when he takes over in 1993. Now, just remember he inherited 4 years of $200+ billion deficits from his predecessor. Now, what happened under his watch?
FY 1994 - $203 billion.
FY 1995 - $164 billion.
FY 1996 - $107 billion.
FY 1997 - $22 billion.
So, a shrinking deficit every year during his first term. And then what? Hundreds of billions in actual surpluses over his second term. For the first time since 1969, under another Democratic President mind you, the government runs a surplus. And not just for one year, for 4 years in a row.
George w. Bush takes over in 2001. What happens to the years of surpluses? They disappear thanks to the usual nonsensical trickle down economics the GOP always pushes because the rubes are all too eager to lap it up. A $100+ billion surplus turns into a $158 billion deficit in year one. The next year we are at nearly $400 billion. By 2008 we are sitting at $459 in the hole and the final year of the Bush presidency gives us the Great Recession and a $1.16 trillion deficit.
So, now Obama inherits an absolute dumpster fire. Wars and a terrible economy. The first year the deficit is north of $1.5 trillion. And then? It goes down, year by year. By 2015 we are down to $438 billion, basically 1/3 of the yearly deficit Obama inherited from Trump.
So, how where are we under Trump, after years of shrinking deficits under Obama? Well, back on their way up in a hurry of course. Nearly $800 billion in Trump's first year turned into more than a trillion in his second. This year we are expected to be north of $1.1 trillion.
So, who exactly has had success at actually cutting the deficit down somewhat and who just talks a big game and then blows the entire thing up, time after time?