PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News exclusively Wednesday night that he would never touch Social Security or Medicare.
Asked about reducing government waste in an exclusive 90-minute interview (his first in print since blocking the Republican presidential nomination for three consecutive years), Trump said he would never cut Social Security or Medicare. I swore I wouldn’t let it out.
President Trump said he would “never do anything that would jeopardize or harm Social Security or Medicare.” “We’ll have to do it elsewhere. But we’re not going to do anything that will hurt them.”
President Trump’s general election opponent, Democratic President Joe Biden, attacked him in recent days after a CNBC show. interview In it, Trump talked about reducing waste and fraud in government spending. Mr. Biden twisted Mr. Trump’s words to make it seem as if Mr. Trump supported cuts to the retirement systems that Americans rely on as they enter the later stages of life.
But Donald Trump made it clear Wednesday night in an interview with Breitbart News at Mar-a-Lago that he would never touch Social Security or Medicare.
“There’s a lot we can do,” Trump said. “There’s so much cuts and waste in so many other areas, but I will never do anything to undermine Social Security.”
In a CNBC interview this week, President Trump was asked about entitlement reform and said he supports cutting waste and fraud, but in the interview he said he opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare, saying it’s up to Biden to do it. He also declared himself a Democrat. Represents a threat to these critical programs.
“First of all, there’s a lot we can do in terms of rights and cuts,” Trump told CNBC. “There is also a tremendous amount that can be done in terms of theft and mismanagement of rights, very mismanagement of rights.”
In an interview with CNBC, President Trump added that Democratic and Biden policies “ultimately end up weakening Social Security because the country is weak.” I mean, look outside the stock market…we’re going through hell. People are going through hell. ”
Biden distorted Trump’s statements to attack him, claiming that Trump supports cutting Social Security. The Biden campaign tweeted a video clip of Trump’s remarks, falsely claiming that Trump said, in the words of the Biden campaign, that “there is a lot that can be done when it comes to cutting Social Security and Medicare.” Mr. Trump never said that, but the Biden campaign fought that claim nonetheless — and Biden himself tweeted, “Not on my watch.”
It’s not on my watch. https://t.co/RAHjjUlGDa
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 11, 2024
Mr. Biden then launched another misguided attack on Mr. Trump on this front in New Hampshire on Monday, saying at a campaign event in the Granite State that “many of my Republican friends want to put Social Security and Medicare back in trouble.” I’m thinking of doing so,” he said.
“If anyone wants to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age again, I’ll stop them,” Biden said in New Hampshire. He added that he thought the government would cut Social Security and Medicare. ”
“This morning, Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are back on the table,” Biden said Monday.
Of course, that has long been false when it comes to Trump. President Trump has regularly promised to protect Social Security and Medicare, and of course reaffirmed his position on Breitbart News Wednesday night.
In his first interview since the start of his third White House campaign, held with Breitbart News at Doral’s home in Miami in December 2022, President Trump vowed never to cut Social Security. did.
“We’re not going to cut Social Security,” President Trump said at the time. “It’s very simple. That’s the easy answer. We’re not going to cut Social Security.”
President Trump’s position on this has never changed, and he has long supported protections for Social Security and Medicare. It’s also a big reason why President Trump doesn’t get along well with old-guard Republicans like former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was a leading proponent of cuts to Social Security and Medicare while in Congress. Ryan, who ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 2012 when he was Mitt Romney’s running mate, was one of the least popular Republicans when he left Congress. He currently serves on the board of directors of Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News Channel.
