Democrats say Trump is not so pure in opposing Social Security cuts
Ryan King
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The Democratic National Committee criticized former President Donald Trump following a report on past comments favorable to Social Security privatization.
Trump made entitlements a core tenet of his attack strategy against potential 2024 GOP primary rivals such as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). But the DNC amplified the recently unearthed comments of Trump supporting many of the reforms he disparaged his rivals for backing.
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“Despite Donald Trump’s desperate attempts to point fingers at everyone but himself for threatening to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, new reporting exposes just how extreme Trump’s OWN record is on these essential programs,” the DNC War Room declared in a press release.
In the past, Trump expressed support for privatizing Social Security, bumping up the retirement age to 70, and former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) plans to “save Medicare,” according to CNN’s KFile.
“The truth is undeniable, the workers of America have been forced to invest a sixth of our wages into a huge Ponzi scheme,” Trump wrote in his 2000 book The America We Deserve, the report highlighted. “The solution to the Great Social Security Crisis couldn’t be more obvious: Allow every American to dedicate some portion of their payroll taxes to a personal Social Security account.”
Many Republicans have backed reforms such as privatization and raising the retirement age in order to avert bankruptcy. Both Medicare and Social Security are projected to run insolvent over the coming years.
Earlier this year, Trump warned Republicans they shouldn’t “cut a single penny” from either of those programs.
“Trump called to privatize Social Security, raise the retirement age, and said it’s a ‘Ponzi scheme.’ He also tried to cut Social Security every year in office. All the 2024 GOP hopefuls are focused on gutting this vital program. This is what’s at stake,” DNC chairman Jamie Harrison tweeted.
https://twitter.com/harrisonjaime/status/1651581868557344777?s=20
“Surprise! Donald Trump also wants to cut Social Security and Medicare,” former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) chimed in.
https://twitter.com/MondaireJones/status/1651605196873555969?s=20
Earlier this month, Trump accused DeSantis of being a “DISCIPLE of ‘Wheelchair over the Cliff’ Paul Ryan.” His remarks alluded to a famous Democratic-backed ad bashing Ryan during the 2012 election cycle. Recently, a Trump-aligned super PAC cut an ad bashing DeSantis as an entitlement cutter.
“Trump previously backed policies on Social Security for which he’s now attacking DeSantis,” Matt Wolking, the strategic communications director of the DeSantis-aligned Never Back Down super PAC, tweeted.
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DeSantis allies have also flagged previous fact checks debunking some claims about DeSantis’s intentions on entitlements. Recently, the Florida governor argued that “we’re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the Trump campaign for comment.