Why is the US’ credit rating so exceptional despite the amount of debt it takes on?

Question

I’m a United States citizen. Moody gives the US a AA+ credit rating (it was downgraded from AAA in 2011).

How can this be, despite the substantial amount of debt the US holds that only continues to grow?

Is it GDP, defense capabilities, the dollar being the de facto currency almost worldwide? A combination of these? Or is there another huge factor(s) I am missing?

In: 54

Answer 1

Countries like the US don’t go bankrupt. It too the UK 160 years to pay off the debt they ran up to win the Napoleonic Wars – and they were good for the interest the whole time.

Mind you – they did not have the modern Republican Party.