In July 2026, people began to notice that the U.S. Department of Treasury added buttons on its website to accept donations for debt relief from the national debt so that Americans could donate right from their Venmo accounts. Just a few months before, Be In Crypto reported that, at that time, the department added buttons online for Venmo and PayPal. But who’s going to tell Donald Trump and his besties that no one is planning to donate?
Well, maybe “no one” is a little strong. There are probably plenty of MAGA supporters who are more than willing to give up a percentage of their income on top of paying taxes and buying MAGA hats and shirts to fill out their wardrobes. But people have taken to social media to explain why they plan to donate zero dollars to offset the national debt, especially at a time like this.
The U.S. thinks Americans will just Venmo the country to help with the national debt.
@dailymail The U.S. Treasury now accepts Venmo donations through Pay.gov, giving Americans another way to voluntarily contribute toward reducing the country's national debt. The donation program has existed for decades, but adding Venmo makes it easier than ever to chip in – even as the national debt has climbed to more than $39 trillion. While individual contributions represent only a tiny fraction of the total, the government has received millions of dollars in voluntary donations in recent years. #USA #news #money #government ♬ som original – ma ★
Apparently, those in charge of government offices like the Department of Treasury think Americans will feel the need to add some of their already taxed hard-earned cash to relieve the country of some of his trillions of dollars in debt. The form online asks for a few bits of personal information like your name and address, and notes that, due to “processing costs,” donations have to be at least $5.
If you don’t have Venmo, though, don’t worry. The form also allows you to choose to donate directly from your bank account or from your credit or debit card. After Daily Mail shared this update on TikTok, though, people quickly commented to share their thoughts and their plans not to actually Venmo the U.S. government.
One user commented on the TikTok to say, “Why don’t we ask the ONLY TRILLIONAIRE IN THE WORLD?” For those living under a rock, that’s likely in reference to Elon Musk, one of Trump’s supporters.
Another user commented to use the government’s own excuses against them when Americans express concern about income and the job market. They commented, “Has the government tried getting a side hustle? Or cutting out Starbucks? Maybe they should cancel all their unnecessary subscriptions.”
“Tell the billionaires to pay their taxes,” someone else added.
The national debt is in the trillions.
If you live in a city where a billboard has a rolling update about the national debit, you might already know that it is in the trillions. As of July 2026, it sits at more than $39 trillion. That amount increases tens of thousands of dollars per second. But sure, if the U.S. government thinks that sending a minimum of $5 from Venmo will help decrease that growing amount, then apparently that’s the plan for now.
Most people are not willing to actually Venmo the U.S. government.
You can Venmo the US government to help pay down the $39.4 trillion debt 😭 pic.twitter.com/cV6UmrilJI
— Complex (@Complex) July 4, 2026
Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of people who are very much unwilling to just fork over money to the U.S. government, especially if they are struggling financially themselves. After someone posted about it on X (formerly Twitter) and admitted they “wish they were joking,” another person responded to suggest sending the Venmo request to billionaires and, of course, Musk, a trillionaire.
Someone also commented, “At this point, it feels like the U.S. government is crowdsourcing its debt repayment plan. But with $39.4 trillion in debt, I don’t think Venmo donations will move the needle much.”
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