how is comparing the first three years of both people's term not an apples to apples comparison?That is not an apples to apples comparison. You cannot compare 2009 to 2017. You always compare the most recent years.
I agree there are difference in who was in Congress, which gave Trump a huge advantage, but first three years of a term is first three years of a term.
What the data shows is that, unlike your claim that the GOP didn't care about spending, they in fact did, compared to a dem president and dem congress.
They had lower deficits.