The Second World War ended in 1945. During this time the national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) was 114%.
That declined nearly every year. President Carter's last full year in office was 1980. By then the national debt as a percentage of GDP had declined to 32%. During this time the top tax rate never got below 70% and was often much higher.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/02inpetr.pdf
President Reagan reduced the top tax rate to 28%. His last full year in office was 1988. By then the national debt as a percentage of GDP had risen to 50%.
Since then, the top tax rate never again reached 70%. Under President Clinton it was raised slightly, from 31% in 1992 to 39.6% in 1993. The national debt as a percentage of GDP declined during the Clinton administration from 63% in 1993 to 55% in 2000.
Trump cut taxes for the rich. During his last full year in office, 2020, the national debt as a percentage of GDP had risen to 129%.
U.S. National Debt by Year