USA TODAY The claim: Clinton and Obama were the only presidents to lower the deficit in the last 50 years A few posts from 2018 about presidential administrations and the federal deficit have resurfaced on Facebook in recent weeks. The posts feature photos of Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and pose the question, "Why do Republicans claim to be fiscally conservative when these are the only two presidents to lower the deficit in the last 50 years?" Erlene King — a user who shared a version of the post — told USA TODAY she believes it is "100% true." "A Democrat is mostly elected after a Republican screw things up. Then Republican Senators become fiscally responsible, forcing the Democrat to just fix the problem and never vote for social programs," she wrote. "Thus the lower deficit."