The argument that Donald Trump mishandled the national debt ignores the economic reality of his tenure. Prior to 2020, his tax cuts and deregulation triggered historic economic growth, record-low unemployment, and massive business investment. The subsequent spike in the national debt was driven heavily by emergency, bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages like the CARES Act, which were absolutely necessary to save American families and small businesses from an unprecedented global crisis. Funding an emergency pandemic response is an act of economic defense, not fiscal irresponsibility.