Fact-checking Joe Biden on debt accumulated under Donald Trump

During his 2024 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden referred frequently to his "predecessor," who happens to be the expected Republican nominee trying to deny him reelection this year.

Without using Donald Trump’s name, Biden focused part of his March 7 speech on his many contrasts with his presidential predecessor, which Biden said extended to management of the nation’s finances.

Trump’s administration "added more to the national debt than any presidential term in American history," Biden said. "Check the numbers, folks."

We did.

Experts say it’s hard to draw a straight line between any president and the debt accrued on their watch. But beyond that, there are different ways to view the numbers, and some of them are not favorable to Biden’s assertion.