It's a steelman ... not an actual claim about reality. It says so right before the words you've quoted.
From Google Search overview box:
> To steelman means to build the strongest, most charitable version of an opposing argument—even better than the way your opponent stated it—before you criticize or reply to it. It is the exact opposite of a strawman, which is when you intentionally weaken or misrepresent someone's view to make it easy to knock down.