He does indeed not know how to count. He is playing with the figures. He is trying to get us to believe his story, but we are not fooled, and neither is the public.
According to the accounting process, if no surplus is forecast, any realized goes to paying down the debt, so surpluses cannot be used because an accounting process is involved. These are fiscal measures, but who is paying for the surpluses that are being used to pay down the debt?