ELI5: What would the U.S. do with the money if it owns 1 trillion dollars of its own debt?

I thought the way a country gets into debt is by printing money to pay for stuff it can't afford. If that's the case, would the U.S. use its 1 trillion dollars to pay off debt, increasing the amount it owns of its own debt, which would then allow it to print a couple trillion more?<br><br>Or, does the U.S. take the 1 trillion dollars and just destroy it, thus, lowering the amount of circulating currency?<br>Or, does some shady shit go on behind the scenes?<br><br>ELI5, please.<br><br>Edit: You guys are great! I appreciate all the answers. I'll be reading them all night. I'm very thankful for the chambers community.