system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How is US the world's largest economy but still in so much debt?
gpt
Because the US government is not like a household. That debt is not like a person's personal debt.  Start by thinking about this question:  where does money come from, in the first place? Which leads to realizing that the government makes it. The government makes money. But if the government just held on to that money, then what? How would people get the money they need? How would businesses  function? 

So the government has to spend the money to get it out into the economy. It's called debt...but maybe we should call it something else?

Also,
Most US government debt is held in Treasury bonds, which are bought predominantly by US citizens. So, we are 'in 'debt' to ourselves.