Donald Trump’s Idea to Cut National Debt: Get Creditors to Accept Less

After assuring Americans he is not running for president to make things unstable for the country, the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump, suggested that he might reduce the national debt by persuading creditors to accept something less than full payment.  Asked on Thursday whether the United States needed to pay its debts in full, or whether he could negotiate a partial repayment, Mr. Trump told the cable network CNBC, “I would borrow, knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal.”  He added, “And if the economy was good, it was good. So, therefore, you can’t lose.”  Such remarks by a major presidential candidate have no modern precedent.  Read article