Former Republican President Donald Trump again floated the longtime GOP plan to cut so-called entitlements.
In the Republican lexicon, social safety nets for the elderly and disabled—like Medicare and Social Security—are entitlements while giving more tax breaks to the wealthy is justified and economically sound.
But Democratic President Joe Biden was quick to respond.
In a phone call to CNBC's Squawk Box, Trump said in response to a question about social programs:
"So first of all, there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting."
"And in terms of, also, the theft and the bad management of entitlements—tremendous bad management of entitlements—there’s tremendous amounts of things and numbers of things you can do."
Beyond "cutting," Trump didn't elaborate on the tremendous amounts of things he would do to Medicare and Social Security.
But Trump's business and charitable foundation history prove he's an expert in theft and bad management.
Biden's personal X account shared Trump's comments, captioned:
"Not on my watch."
Biden was in New Hampshire Monday morning.
He told the crowd in Goffstown:
"Many of my Republican friends want to put Social Security and Medicare back on the chopping block again."
"Many of them are trying to cut Social Security and Medicare or raise the retirement age again."
"I will stop them."
Biden then shared Trump's comments with the New Hampshire audience.
"Even this morning, Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are on the table."
"When asked if he’d change his position, he said, quote, there’s a lot 'you can do in terms of cutting'. 'Tremendous amount of things you can do'."
Biden added:
"I’m never gonna allow that to happen. I won’t cut Social Security and I won’t cut Medicare."
"I will protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicare and make the wealthy begin to pay their fair share."
In a White House statement, spokesperson Andrew Bates said:
"As the President just warned in his State of the Union address, Republican officials plan to cut Medicare and Social Security."
"Today, in his budget, President Biden honors his ironclad commitment by firmly opposing benefit cuts to Medicare and Social Security."
According to a White House budget fact sheet, the Biden administration plans to shore up Social Security by "asking the highest-income Americans to pay their fair share."
The Biden budget plan calls for raising taxes on incomes above $400,000, raising a 3.8% surtax on net investment income to 5% for those above that income threshold and directing revenues and Medicare drug savings into the Medicare trust fund.
Beyond talking about unspecified cuts, Trump hasn't offered a plan for Social Security or Medicare.
His latest comments once again parrot the Republican claims that recipients are to blame for funding shortfalls and not GOP President Ronald Reagan beginning the practice of raiding the trust funds to cover tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate welfare.
People were unsurprised by Trump's flip-flopping on social safety nets.
@mmpadellan/X
The presumptive GOP 2024 presidential candidate later added the latest Republican mantra to his comments.
Trump told CNBC:
"I know that they’re going to end up weakening Social Security because the country is weak. I mean, take a look at outside of the stock market ... we’re going through hell."
"People are going through hell."
"Going through Hell" was also used heavily by Alabama Senator Katie Britt in the heavily mocked GOP response to Biden's well received State of the Union address.
Trump added:
"[The middle class has] been treated very, very badly with policy."
The GOP candidate didn't specify whose policies he referred to.
During Trump's administration, the GOP pushed, passed and Trump signed a temporary tax decrease for the middle class combined with permanent tax cuts for the wealthy.
When the temporary tax cuts ended, most middle class people's taxes increased in accordance with the Republican plan Trump signed.
