(CNN) Conservative TV host Sean Hannity opened his interview with President Donald Trump on Wednesday night by touting the various -- and allegedly underplayed -- successes in the economy over the first nine months of Trump's tenure.

Yes, you're right in thinking this isn't the usual way an interview between a journalist and a politician goes. ("Boy, you're doing great. Talk more about that!")

But, Hannity's "question" is actually beside the point. What matters is Trump's answer. And here it is:

"The country, we took it over in 20 trillion you know the last eight years they borrowed more than it did in the whole history of our country. So they borrowed more than $10 trillion. Right? And yet we picked up $5.2 trillion just in the stock market. Possibly picked up the whole thing in terms of the first nine months. In terms of value. So you can say in one sense, we are really increasing values and may be in a sense, we are reducing debt. We are very honored by it and very, very happy by what's happening in Wall Street."

What Trump is suggesting here is that because of the gains in the stock market -- which have absolutely happened -- the national debt is being reduced.

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