The U.S. national debt has officially surpassed $40 trillion, a staggering sum that market strategist Ryan Detrick visually equated to a stack of $1,000 bills reaching “72 times the height of Mount Everest.”
Despite the daunting visual, Detrick is urging investors to avoid “denominator blindness” by weighing this towering liability against the country’s equally massive surge in household net wealth.
A Towering $40 Trillion Milestone
Recent Treasury figures confirm the government’s borrowing has reached historic new levels. According to the Treasury data, the ‘Total Public Debt Outstanding’ crossed the $40 trillion threshold by mid-August 2026, resting at over $40.09 trillion as of Aug. 25.
Speaking on an episode of the Facts Versus Feelings podcast, Carson Group Chief Market Strategist Detrick illustrated the sheer scale of the situation.
