What did Donald Trump do today?

He told a four trillion-dollar lie (through a spokesperson).

Trump has been encountering stiff resistance in getting his budget bill through Congress, and not only because Democrats oppose its massive cuts to Medicaid. Deficit hawks in both parties are alarmed that the proposed budget not only slashes services and effectively raises taxes on low-income households, but balloons the federal debt by giving away trillions of dollars in tax cuts skewed towards the extremely wealthy. 

The bill couldn't even get through the Republican-controlled House Budget Committee on its first try because of those concerns. That led to the following exchange at a White House press briefing today:

REPORTER: Is the president okay with this bill adding to the deficit?

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KAROLINA LEAVITT: This bill does not add to the deficit. In fact, according to the Council of Economic Advisors, this bill will save 1.6 trillion dollars, and the President absolutely hears and understands the concerns of fiscal conservatives who want to get our fiscal house in order, that's what the intention of this bill is. There's 1.6 trillion dollars worth of savings in this bill, that's the largest savings for any legislation that has ever passed Capitol Hill in our nation's history.

In reality, the bill as written will add to the deficit, by about $4 trillion dollars. 

That means that more than ten percent of the money the government has ever borrowed will be necessary to fund the tax cuts for this one budget. The "savings" Leavitt mentioned are overwhelmed by the massive decrease in revenue, meaning the government will be forced to borrow more money in order to pay its day-to-day bills.

The bill itself contains language increasing the debt ceiling to allow that very borrowing.

In other words, Trump's spin is like saying that a business with $1.4 million in revenue and $5.4 in debts is profitable. That's not an unusual approach for Trump to take in his own business career, but the United States government can't declare bankruptcy.

Why does this matter?

• There are lies, and then there are lies that cost about $4,000,000,000,000.