The Trump campaign went into damage control mode after the former president made recent statements about Medicare and Social Security benefits. His statements impacted a considerable part of his support base, and the campaign is working tirelessly to mitigate some of the damage they did. Let’s see what he said and how it impacted his supporters.
Cutting Medicaid and Social Security Funding
It’s no surprise that the US is facing a significant debt crisis. One of Donald Trump’s claims for being elected is that he’s good at managing money. How would he address the debt?
According to his statements on Monday, he’s considering cutting Medicaid and Social Security funding. Naturally, this angered a large part of his support base.
Cuts Impacting Retired and Disabled Workers
A vast amount of people who benefit from Medicaid and Social Security are older, retired workers, or disabled workers, and these same groups make up a core part of Trump’s support.
Trump stated that these “entitlements,” alongside the theft and poor management of these programs, led to much wastage. He also insinuated that the money could be better used.
Rambling Response Still Taking Shots at the Biden Administration
Trump’s response about cutting social security and Medicaid was part of a rambling response given to CNBC’s Joe Kernen, which also touched on oil drilling and the stock market.
In a parting shot at the end of his rambling response, he stated that the Biden administration may end up weakening social security because the country is weak.
A Quick Response By Trump’s Campaign
Someone on Trump’s campaign crew must have been paying attention because they jumped into action immediately to clarify what he meant with his rambling response.
According to the campaign, the former president doesn’t intend to cut Social Security or Medicaid but instead deals with the waste and corruption that exists inside these institutions.
Biden Shoots Back
As fast as Trump’s campaign was to try to address a potential weakness, President Joe Biden seized on it in his own address to supporters at a rally in New Hampshire.
Biden noted that Trump’s statements suggest he’d likely cut funding to two programs that impacted over seventy million Americans, ending with a promise to protect those entitlements.
Making The Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share
Biden reiterated in his speech that he has no intention of cutting Medicaid or Social Security but would instead force the wealthy to pay what they should to maintain these institutions.
Both of these social programs have long been hot-button issues in presidential debates. One side claims they’re a waste of taxpayer money, but on the other hand, many people depend on them.
Trump’s Previous Move Protected These Programs
When Trump was in office, and the debt ceiling was being debated, he told lawmakers that they should never consider cutting Medicaid or Social Security. He was adamant about his position.
Back then, he stated (just as he did in Monday’s interview) that he believes that waste and fraud are everywhere in the system. Cutting either of these institutions would make seniors suffer, and he doesn’t want to do that.
Thousands Rely On Benefits to Survive
Any administration that cuts either of these programs is likely to face severe backlash simply because so many people rely on those benefits to survive.
Statistics suggest that around 13% of retirees are in poverty, and most Americans over the age of 65 are subsisting on less than $30,000 a year. Without these programs, older adults would be unable to survive financially.
Biden Also Adamant Against Cutting Social Security and Medicaid
The Biden administration knows that cutting funding would cause millions of Americans to go into poverty, and with that knowledge, they are avoiding cutting either program.
In his address, he stated that he would reject any efforts to cut Medicaid or Social Security, showing Americans that they can continue to depend on the state for funding these programs.
Expensive But Necessary
Medicaid and Social Security are expensive projects to run, but they have become so ingrained in American life that cutting them or removing them would cause societal collapse.
In 2022, Social Security paid out $1.2 trillion to citizens as benefits, making it the second most expensive US government program. The most costly was medical care, of which Medicaid is a part.
Older Americans In a Bad Spot Financially
While many older Americans have some money stashed away for a rainy day, many more don’t. Social Security became their retirement insurance, and now it’s the only way they can make ends meet.
Similarly, many of these Americans don’t have health insurance. Medicaid handles the cost of much of their medication, and without it, they wouldn’t be able to afford the basics.
Retirement Crisis Is a Problem For Many Americans
Many Americans have already accepted that retirement is a luxury they can’t afford. Despite putting money away, there are simply too many expenses for them to think of retiring permanently.
A report by Bernie Sanders suggests that more than half of low-income households and almost half of middle-income families would be unable to maintain their pre-retirement income levels after age 65.
Not Just The Middle Of The Pack In Jeopardy
While as many as 73% of the bottom group of wealth holders were at risk, 28% of those in the highest income bracket were similarly at risk. However, it would affect the former more than the latter.
Retirees are in the unenviable position of retiring and not being able to live on what they have. That’s why Medicaid and Social Security remain such vital parts of US politics.
No One Can Cut These Programs
Even if Trump wanted to cut these programs, they’re so ingrained into society that it would be impossible to eliminate them. While Trump might say he’s considering cutting it, it’s likely just another example of him opening his mouth without thinking about the implications of what he said until afterward.
Both Trump and Biden are well aware of how vital Medicaid and Social Security are. If only Trump would remember this when he starts discussing it in a public forum, his campaign wouldn’t have to do so much damage control.
