Hilsenrath: Trump and Biden share a legacy of outsized, ill-timed debt accumulation

Joe Biden and Donald Trump will take the stage in Atlanta with predictable stories about the American economy from 2017 to 2020 (the Trump Boom!) and 2021 to 2024 (the Biden Recovery!).

But the record isn’t as simple as either will portray. History and data show more blotches than either will admit and a narrative that defies either political agenda. Here is what actually happened to the economy on the respective watches of both men.