Former President Donald Trump spoke Monday about the details of a possible reform of Social Security if he returns to the White House.
Appearing on CNBC's Squawk Box, Trump was asked by co-host Joe Kernen if he has any thoughts on changes to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Trump replied, "There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlement, in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements."
He added, "I know that they're going to end up weakening Social Security because the country is weak."
Trump went on to say that he believes "cumulative inflation" around the country is nearing 50 percent and warned that the nation's "middle class has been routed."
"The middle class largely built this country, and they've been treated very, very badly with policy," he said.
The Context
During President Joe Biden's State of the Union address last week, he vowed to protect Medicare and Social Security, saying, "Working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do." He added, "It's not fair."
Biden also accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security as well as aiming to "give more tax cuts to the wealthy."
On X (formerly Twitter), the Biden-Harris HQ account shared a video of Trump's comments on Monday and charged that he wants to cut Social Security.
"If you losers didn't cut his answer short, you would know President Trump was talking about cutting waste," the Trump War Room account tweeted in response.
Biden also responded on X, writing, "Not on my watch."
What We Know
In 2023, Trump spoke about Social Security and rejected claims that he would attempt to cut the program.
"You don't have to touch Social Security," he said during a town hall with Fox News' Sean Hannity in December of that year. "We have money laying in the ground far greater than anything we can do by hurting senior citizens with their Social Security."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.
Views
In January, the left-leaning advocacy group Social Security Works, which seeks to expand benefits, issued a warning about Trump's possible reelection.
It said he "proposed cutting Social Security and Medicare every year he was president" and "tried to defund Social Security."
What's Next
Earlier this month, a poll from Navigator Research found that 61 percent of Republicans said they were either very or somewhat concerned about possible GOP plans for tax breaks that would result in Social Security cuts for older Americans.
Update 3/11/24, 10:49 a.m. and 11:33 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with further information and background.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
