During his 2024 presidential campaign, Republican President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee repeatedly claimed no cuts would be made to Social Security or Medicare.
The RNC's platform stated:
"President Trump has made absolutely clear that he will not cut one penny from Medicare or Social Security. American Citizens work hard their whole lives, contributing to Social Security and Medicare. These programs are promises to our Seniors, ensuring they can live their golden years with dignity."
"Republicans will protect these vital programs and ensure Economic Stability. We will work with our Great Seniors, in order to allow them to be active and healthy. We commit to safeguarding the future for our Seniors and all American families."
Then in December, Trump reiterated:
"We’re not touching Social Security, other than we might make it more efficient, but the people are going to get what they’re getting. And we’re not raising ages or any of that stuff."
At a press conference in February, Trump again claimed:
"Social Security will not be touched, it will only be strengthened. We’re not going to touch it, other than to make it stronger."
Apparently, South African immigrant Elon Musk, Trump’s White House advisor and Department of Government Efficiency leader never got that memo.
On Monday, Musk appeared on Fox Business to share the half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies the Trump administration is known for. During the interview that took place at the White House, Musk named Social Security and other "entitlements" Americans pay into as his proverbial Moby Dick—the great white whale he's obsessed with vanquishing.
He previously referred to Social Security as "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time."
Musk told host Larry Kudlow—a former Trump economic advisor himself—in a stammering statement:
"Most of the federal spending is entitlements. That’s the big one to eliminate."
You can see Musk's comments here:
Musk also repeated already debunked false claims.
He told Kudlow:
"20 million people who are definitely dead marked as alive in the Social Security database."
He also falsely claimed benefits were being used as bribes to undocumented immigrants. Musk’s words were common rhetoric from White nationalist and White supremacist propaganda about their "Great Replacement Theory," which claims non-White immigrants are being brought to the United States to replace White people as the majority of the population.
Musk said:
"[Entitlements are] a mechanism by which the Democrats attract and retain illegal immigrants by essentially paying them to come here and then turning them into voters."
About the only honest statement in the interview was Musk divulging his plan to cut Social Security and other social safety net programs.
Musk made sure to give credit for his attacks on Social Security to Trump, saying:
"Without the President’s support, we couldn’t make any progress here."
People were unsurprised by Musk’s real target and his lies to justify it.
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The Trump administration is already doing damage control after Musk’s latest faux pas.
A hastily prepared White House press release stated:
"The Trump Administration will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. President Trump himself has said it (over and over and over again)."
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