Adding to national debt is an inevitable fact of being President of the United States. The extent to which debt rises under any sitting president depends not only on the policy and spending choices they have made, but also the choices made by presidents and congresses that have come before them. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush President Ronald Reagan increased the U.S. debt by around **** trillion U.S. dollars, or ****** percent. This is often attributed to "Reaganomics," in which Reagan implemented significant supply-side economic policies in which he reduced government regulation, cut taxes, and tightened the money supply. Spending increased under President George W. Bush in light of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To finance the wars, President Bush chose to borrow the money, rather than use war bonds or increase taxes, unlike previous war-time presidents. Additionally, Bush introduced a number of tax cuts, and oversaw the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis. Barack Obama President Obama inherited both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the financial crisis. The Obama administration also did not increase taxes to pay for the wars, and additionally passed expensive legislation to kickstart the economy following the economic crash, as well as the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The ACA expanded healthcare coverage to cover more than ** million more Americans through programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Though controversial at the time, more than half of Americans have a favorable view of the ACA in 2023. Additionally, he signed legislation making the W. Bush-era tax cuts permanent.

This poll, fielded March 26-29, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Barack Obama and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy. Respondents were asked whether the Obama administration or the Republicans in Congress could be trusted to do a better job coping with the economic problems the nation faces and whether things in the country were going in the right direction. Respondents were also asked their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama as well their opinions on the roles of banks, the Bush administration, large businesses and consumer debt, and the state of the national economy. Non-economic questions focused on the role of the United States in Afghanistan, confidence in the Obama administration in the handling of Afghanistan and the Taliban, efforts made in building relationships between the United States and Muslim-majority nations, and the general world image of the United States. Personal financial and economic topics addressed how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living and in what areas they are experiencing spending cutbacks. Additional topics addressed familiarity and understanding of the Islamic religion and Muslims, and whether respondents had shopped at a Walmart store in the past 12 months. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, political political philosophy, party affiliation, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), education level, religious preference, employment status, household income and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, conducted February 27, 2001, is part of a continuing series of surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked for their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, following Bush's first address to Congress earlier in the evening. Views were sought on the proposals outlined by Bush during the address, including income tax cuts, increased education spending, increased funding for Social Security and Medicare, and using the federal budget surplus to reduce the national debt. Respondents were queried as to whether they thought Bush or other individuals were in charge of the administration, whether Democrats would work with the administration, and whether the priorities of the Bush administration were shared by the American people. Respondents were also asked whether they supported Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut and whether it would be possible to preserve social programs after such tax a cut. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, marital status, education, religion, children in household, race, Hispanic descent, and household income.

This statistic shows the total funds raised by U.S. presidential election candidates as of June 22, 2016. As of June 22, Hillary Clinton had the largest funds total at about 335 million U.S. dollars.

br> U.S. 2016 Elections: the money race - additional information

As of February 2016, the United States presidential elections are still in the early stages, but already large sums of money have been raised and spent in support of candidates and their parties. According to the Center for Responsive Politics research group, Hillary Clinton raised almost 230 million U.S. dollars in her 2008 nomination campaign and left the race with an estimated 22.5 million U.S. dollars in debt, at least 11.4 million U.S. dollars of which came from her own finances. Most of her funds in 2008 were raised with the help of individual contributions. In 2016, she is criticized by her biggest opponent in the nomination race, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, for taking advantage of the Citizen United 2010 ruling. This controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision lifted the limitations corporations and labor unions had in donating to a so-called super PAC (political action committee).

As of February 1, 2016, Clinton benefited from funds provided by super PACs amounting to almost 48 million U.S. dollars, but she comes in only second in the ranking of nominees supported by such committees, after Jeb Bush. The former Florida Governor, who is the son and brother to two former U.S. Presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush respectively, has benefited from some 123 million U.S. dollars from super PACs. Almost 30 thousand television ads in support of his candidacy were funded by super PAC money, the most of any other presidential hopeful.

Super PACs are controversial because they are not the type of committee raising 50 dollar pledges, but rather millions of U.S. dollars from powerful and wealthy families and interest groups, which in turn can be suspected of wanting to influence their supported candidates’ views. According to the New York Times, generous donations to super PACs in 2015-2016 have come from such figures as billionaire philanthropist and investor George Soros, who pledged 7 billion U.S. dollars to Hillary Clinton or C.V. Starr & Company Inc., a company run by former CEO of the A.I.G insurance company Maurice R. Greenberg, who donated 1o million U.S. dollars to Jeb Bush. As opposed to 2012, when business magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam made the largest donation, in the 2016 election Donald Trump himself has made the largest contribution, almost 13 million U.S. dollars, naturally to his own campaign.

This poll, conducted February 10-12, 2001, is part of a continuing series of surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. The survey examined respondents' views about George W. Bush as president, including whether they approved of Bush's job performance, their opinions of Bush, whether Bush would be in charge and have control of his cabinet, the biggest problems facing President Bush and the Congress, whether Bush would be able to work with both parties to get things done, and whether Bush would be capable of handling foreign affairs. A second battery of questions queried the respondents on their views of Congress, including whether partisanship was still present in Washington, whether they approved of Congress's job performance, and whether the current Congress could do a better job then their predecessors, considering that the Congress was nearly evenly divided. Respondents were also asked for their opinions on taxes and the economy. In regard to taxes, respondents were asked if the budget surplus should be used to cut income taxes, pay down the national debt, preserve programs like Medicare and Social Security, or something else, what size income tax cut they would like to see passed, whether they approved of Bush's 1.6 trillion dollar tax cut over the next ten years, who they thought would benefit from the tax cut, how the tax cut would affect Social Security and Medicare, and what they would do with the extra money if the tax cut passed. With respect to the economy, respondents were queried about the condition of the national economy and whether it was getting better or worse, whether they felt the economy was in a recession, how they viewed the stock market and the future of the market, if it was a good time to buy a new car or house, if they were concerned about layoffs in the future, and whether their spending habits had changed because of concerns for the economy. Another set of questions dealt with America's power supplies. Respondents were asked if the electric companies, state government, or consumers were to blame for the power shortage in California, whether the federal government should help California or if it was a state issue, whether producing energy was more important than protecting the environment, and whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska should be opened for oil and natural gas drilling. Respondents' views were also elicited on the topics of retirement and marriage. Questions if applicable, probed the age at which the respondents expected to retire, their main reason for planning to retire after age 65, whether they thought that the Social Security system would have enough money to provide their expected benefits, whether they had begun to establish a separate savings program for retirement, what type of program it was, at what age they began this savings program, whether they would accept an early retirement if given the chance, and whether they expected their standard of living to be the same after retiring. In regard to marriage, respondents were asked if most Americans getting married currently took the institution of marriage as seriously as their parents' generation did, how long romance lasts during marriage, if married, what the quality of communication was between them and their spouses, if they could trust their spouses, and whether they were satisfied with marriage. Respondents were also asked for their opinions of former President Bill Clinton, former President George H.W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, education, race/ethnic identity, voter registration, political party affiliation, political orientation, marital status, number of children in the household, and household income.

This poll, fielded July 20-23, 2000, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 7, 2000, presidential election and for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, given a choice between Vice President Al Gore (Democratic Party), Texas governor George W. Bush (Republican Party), conservative commentator Pat Buchanan (Reform Party), and consumer advocate Ralph Nader (Green Party). Respondents were asked to assess the importance of the following issues in their electoral decision-making and to specify which candidate they most trusted to do a better job addressing them: holding taxes down, protecting the Social Security system, improving education, improving the health care system, handling the economy, handling gun control, handling foreign affairs, encouraging high moral standards and values, handling the death penalty issue, protecting people's privacy on the Internet, handling the federal budget surplus, managing the federal budget, handling crime, protecting the environment, addressing women's issues, and appointing justices to the Supreme Court. Views were sought on whether presidential debates should be held, which candidates should be invited to participate, and whether respondents were satisfied with the presidential candidates. In addition, respondents were asked which candidate understood the problems of the American people, was a strong leader, would bring needed change to Washington, had the knowledge of world affairs it takes to serve effectively as president, could keep the economy strong, would say or do anything to get elected, had new ideas, said what he really thought, was honest and trustworthy, had an appealing personality, and had the right kind of experience to be president. Those queried were asked whether a difference existed between Gore and Bush on the issues about which the respondent cared and their personal qualities. Opinions were elicited on whether the top priority for the federal budget surplus should be cutting federal taxes, reducing the national debt, strengthening Social Security, or increasing spending on domestic programs. Additional questions covered abortion and the impact of Bush's naming a running mate who supported legalized abortion, Bush's handling of the death penalty while governor of Texas, voter intentions regarding the 2000 Congressional elections, whether a smaller government with fewer services is preferred to a larger government with many services, whether the country should continue to move in the direction that Clinton established, and whether it mattered who was elected president. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, religion, labor union membership, Hispanic origin, household income, and neighborhood characteristics.

This poll, fielded September 27-October 1, 2000, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman, Texas governor George W. Bush, former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, and the United States Congress. Those queried were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 7, 2000, presidential election and for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, given a choice between Gore (Democratic Party), Bush (Republican Party), conservative commentator Pat Buchanan (Reform Party), and consumer advocate Ralph Nader (Green Party). A series of questions addressed the presidential campaigns of Gore and Bush, including which candidate possessed strong leadership qualities, had the skills necessary to negotiate with Congress, had the ability to deal effectively with world leaders, cared about the needs of people like the respondent, had spent more time explaining his proposals than attacking his opposition, and shared a political orientation similar to that of the respondent. Views on the candidates' proposed policies were also elicited, including which candidate was more likely to maintain a strong economy, keep oil prices down, reduce the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, reduce taxes, make health care affordable for everyone, preserve the privacy of the financial and medical records of the American people, strengthen the United States military, and choose Supreme Court justices whose opinions would be the closest to the respondent's on issues like abortion. Other questions focused on whether the expected federal budget surplus should be spent cutting taxes, paying down the national debt, or preserving programs like Medicare and Social Security. A series of questions addressed which political party was more likely to insure economic prosperity, improve health care, reduce taxes, improve education, and make the right decision about Social Security. Additional topics covered whether respondents intended to watch the televised presidential debate on October 3, what they expected to learn from the debate, and whether the information they obtained from the debate would influence their electoral decision. A final series of questions sought respondent views on the use of school vouchers, the state of the public school system in the country and in their community, and which level of government was responsible for improving the public school system. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, labor union membership, military service, marital status, religion, race, Hispanic origin, health care coverage, age of children in household, computer and Internet access, household income, number of years living in community, and whether the respondent was financially better or worse off than eight years ago.

This poll, fielded February 18-22, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy, the war in Iraq, and foreign policy. Respondents gave their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the United States Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and how they will work together. Views were sought on the condition of the national economy, the government bailout of the automotive and financial industries, and whether the federal government should provide financial help to homeowners having trouble paying their mortgages. Additional topics addressed the stimulus package, the national debt, baseball players and steroid use by the players, household finances, job security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether Iran was a threat to the United States, whether the Bush Administration should be investigated for the treatment of detainees, the use of wiretaps, the likelihood that respondents would watch President Obama's address to Congress on February 24th, 2009. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, home ownership, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This data collection is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that evaluate the Bush presidency and solicit opinions on a variety of political and social issues. Major topics covered include Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the federal budget deficit, the upcoming general election, and issues regarding Israel. Questions focusing on the situation in the Persian Gulf addressed the issues of the use of military force if necessary to ensure Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait, long-term military presence of the United States in the Gulf region, the use of military force should the economic embargo prove unsuccessful, the likelihood that the United States would go to war with Iraq, and Americans and other foreigners being held hostage by Iraq. Respondents also were asked if they approved of the way George Bush, the Democrats, and the Republicans in Congress were handling the budget deficit, who was more to blame for the large deficit, who was working harder to reduce it, and if they thought the congressional committees would come up with a better budget plan after the rejection of the plan drawn up by Bush and leaders of Congress. In addition, respondents were asked which candidate and political party they would vote for on election day, if they approved of the way their public officials (congressional representative, governor, Congress, and state legislature) were doing their jobs, if they approved of proposals to limit the number of years a person could serve as an elected public official at the state and national levels, and what they thought about a number of issues related to Israel and the Palestinians. Background information on respondents includes political alignment, 1988 presidential vote choice, registered voter status, education, age, religion, social class, marital status, number of people in the household, labor union membership, employment status, race, income, sex, and state/region of residence.

This poll, fielded September 9-11, 2000, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman, Texas governor George W. Bush, and former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. Those queried were asked whether they intended to vote in the November 7, 2000, presidential election and for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, given a choice between Gore (Democratic Party), Bush (Republican Party), conservative commentator Pat Buchanan (Reform Party), and consumer advocate Ralph Nader (Green Party). A series of questions addressed the presidential campaigns of Gore and Bush, including which candidate could be trusted to keep his word, possessed strong leadership qualities, had the ability to deal with an international crisis, cared about the needs of people like the respondent, shared the values of the American people, would keep his campaign promises, had spent more time explaining his proposals than attacking his opposition, and had made clear what he intended to accomplish as president. Respondent views on the candidates' proposed policies were elicited, including which candidate was more likely to maintain a strong economy, reduce the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, protect the environment, improve education, reduce taxes, make health care affordable to everyone, work toward building a missile defense system, and choose Supreme Court justices who would vote to keep abortion legal. Other questions focused on whether the expected federal budget surplus should be spent cutting taxes, paying down the national debt, or preserving programs like Medicare and Social Security. A series of questions addressed United States military strength and the proposed missile defense system, with items on knowledge of the missile defense system program, whether such a land- and sea-based missile defense system would work, and whether the government should continue to develop such a system. Additional topics covered whether presidential candidates should participate in debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, respondent views on abortion, the tone of campaign advertising, whether it was appropriate for presidential candidates to publicly discuss their religious beliefs, whether any candidate had used religion improperly during the campaign, and how respondents intended to vote in the 2000 Congressional elections. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, labor union membership, marital status, religion, race, Hispanic origin, age of children in household, computer access, household income, number of years living in community, and whether the respondent was financially better or worse off than eight years ago.

This data collection focuses on the federal budget deficit and on issues dealing with the rich and the poor in America. Respondents were asked if they approved of the way George Bush, Democrats in Congress, and Republicans in Congress were handling the the federal budget deficit, and who was more to blame for the larger deficit. Additionally, respondents were asked how much money it takes to be rich in the United States, whether they would want to be rich, how likely it was that they would ever be rich or poor, whether the percentage of Americans who are rich was increasing, and whether they respected and admired rich people. Other questions asked respondents if they characterized rich people as more likely to be honest, snobbish, intelligent, and a variety of other traits, whether respondents would be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who was a millionaire/self-made millionaire, and which political party better represented the interests of poor, rich, and middle class people. Background information on respondents includes political alignment, 1988 presidential vote choice, registered voter status, education, age, religion, social class, marital status, number of people in the household, labor union membership, employment status, race, income, sex, and state/region of residence.