U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States may carry less debt than thought and said it could be because of fraud related to debt payments.
Trump made his comments to reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
The United States currently has $36.2 trillion public debt outstanding, according to the U.S. Treasury, which plays a central role in the global financial system.
Trump has tasked billionaire Elon Musk’s government efficiency team with rooting out fraud and wasteful spending across the federal government.
“We’re even looking at Treasuries,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “There could be a problem – you’ve been reading about that, with Treasuries and that could be an interesting problem.”
Audits being carried out by Musk’s efficiency team have disrupted operations at several federal agencies.
Trump’s comments on Sunday about potential fraud related to U.S. Treasuries raises the question of what sort of action Musk’s team may take on Treasuries.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason, writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Noeleen Walder)
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