Trump Reiterates Commitment to Protect Social Security and Medicare at Rally “I Will Not Cut One Penny”
(Evan Vucci/AP)
Donald Trump has renewed his campaign pledge to safeguard Social Security and Medicare during a rally in Doral, Florida, a western suburb of Miami. The Social Security Administration (SSA) faces significant funding challenges in the next decade, with the trust funds that support retirement payments expected to be depleted by the mid-2030s.
If the issue is not addressed, the SSA will be forced to immediately cut benefits by about 17 percent, according to the agency’s latest trustees’ report. Addressing a crowd of supporters, the former president vowed not to cut benefits as the November general election approaches. “I will not cut one penny from Social Security or Medicare,” he declared. “And I will not raise the retirement age by one day.” He continued, “Biden is going to do that because he’s allowing these people to come in to go onto Social Security and Medicare.”
His comments echoed previous claims that President Joe Biden would “destroy” Social Security due to the number of immigrants entering the U.S., a point Trump emphasized during a presidential debate in June. “Social Security, he’s destroying it because millions of people are pouring into our country, and they’re putting them onto Social Security,” Trump said, without specifying whether he was referring to migrants living in the U.S. legally or illegally, told Newsweek.
Trump first promised not to cut the two major entitlement programs in 2023 as part of his Agenda47 campaign. “Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security,” he stated. “DO NOT CUT the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security.”
However, Trump has made other comments that seem to contradict his 2023 announcement. “There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting,” he told CNBC in March, sparking immediate criticism from the White House and igniting a debate over who could better manage the decades-old entitlement system.
He later walked back these comments, saying in an interview with the conservative news outlet Breitbart that he would “never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare.” Social Security provides monthly income to more than 72 million beneficiaries, including retired Americans, disabled workers, and families. Medicare provides health coverage to more than 65 million Americans over the age of 65.
