what was the debt when he took office? - “I’m the king of debt.” So declared Donald Trump while running for president in 2016. Alas, he was not kidding. When President Trump moved into the White House, the government debt held by the public stood at $14.4 trillion. June 20, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/business/national-debt-trump.html