Trump Advocates for Raising the Debt Ceiling, Criticizes Latest Funding Deal

Investing.com -- President-elect Donald Trump called on Congress to raise the debt ceiling, labeling it as an nonsensical concept. In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump stated that lifting the debt ceiling would be a wise move and that he would fully support it.

Trump expressed that if Democrats want to lift it, he would be at the forefront of that effort. He also suggested that the consequences of surpassing the debt ceiling are uncertain and could range from disastrous to trivial, emphasizing that no one would want to explore the potential outcomes.

Regarding a possible government shutdown, Trump noted that if such an event were to occur, it would start under a Democratic president. He implied that the current conflict in Congress is necessary to pave the way for his administration beginning in January.

When asked about his confidence in House Speaker Mike Johnson, Trump gave a noncommittal response, saying, "We will see." Criticizing the latest funding agreement, he referred to it as a "Democratic trap," stating that it is unacceptable in many aspects. This agreement was part of the Speaker's temporary budget resolution.

Before Elon Musk, the owner of X, posted on Wednesday, Trump had shared his views on the short-term funding deal with him. Trump mentioned that he encouraged Musk to make a statement if he agreed with his perspective. According to Trump, Musk assesses the situation financially and their views are aligned and quite similar.