Biden warns that Trump administration has ‘taken a hatchet’ to Social Security
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- Tuesday’s address marked the first time that Biden has explicitly attacked Trump, who continues to blame Biden for many of the nation’s problems and often attacks him by name.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took a shot at the former president’s age when asked about his speech earlier in the day.
WASHINGTON — Former President Biden warned on Tuesday that President Trump has “taken a hatchet” to Social Security, weighing in on a crucial issue for millions of Americans as the 82-year-old Democrat briefly returned to the national stage.
Biden, who has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January, delivered his pointed message during an evening speech at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. The former president was speaking as Democrats across the nation offered similar warnings for what they described as a Social Security Day of Action.
“In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breathtaking,” Biden said. “They’ve taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration.”
While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s high-profile address focused on a top issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections. It also marked the first time that he has explicitly criticized Trump, who continues to blame Biden for many of the nation’s problems and often attacks his predecessor by name.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took a shot at the former president’s age when asked about his speech earlier in the day.
“I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime,” Leavitt said during Tuesday’s White House news briefing. “I thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight.”
She said that Trump, who is 78, would sign a presidential memorandum Tuesday afternoon “aimed at stopping illegal aliens, and other ineligible people, from obtaining” Social Security benefits. The memorandum will expand the Social Security Administration’s fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. attorney offices, and establish Medicare and Medicaid fraud prosecution programs in 15 U.S. attorney offices, Leavitt said.
Despite such moves, the Social Security Administration has been beset by controversy under Trump’s leadership.
The Republican president almost immediately began slashing the government workforce upon his return to the White House, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
Along with a planned layoff of 7,000 workers and contentious plans to impose tighter identity-proofing measures for recipients, the agency has been sued over a decision to allow Trump advisor Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access individuals’ Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information.
Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Trump’s most influential advisors, has called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
At the same time, Social Security recipients have complained about long call wait times as the agency’s “my Social Security” benefits portal has seen an increase in outages. Individuals who receive Supplemental Security income, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, also reported receiving a notice that said they were “not receiving benefits.”
The agency said the notice was a mistake. And the White House has vowed that it would not cut Social Security benefits, saying any changes are intended to reduce waste and fraud.
Biden’s speech came as Democrats nationally sought to elevate Social Security as a key issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections, which will decide the balance of power in Congress for the last two years of Trump’s final term.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, which is why President Biden’s voice in this moment is so important,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a call with reporters ahead of Biden’s speech.
Biden was joined in Chicago by a bipartisan group of former elected officials, including former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), former Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley.
“Social Security is a sacred promise between generations,” O’Malley said. “We are deeply grateful to the president for joining us at ACRD to discuss how we can keep that promise for all Americans.”
Peoples and Hussein write for the Associated Press. Peoples reported from New York. AP writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.
