(RepublicanNews.org) – Former President Donald Trump implied during a recent interview that he may be considering cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security if he returns to the White House, and just as quickly as his campaign went into damage control to clarify his remarks, President Joe Biden and other Democrats seized on the opportunity to call him out.
Trump made a call-in appearance on CNBC on Monday, March 11th, and told “Squawk Box” host Joe Kernen that entitlement programs are badly managed and that a “number of things” could be done about it. His campaign immediately clarified that his remarks were actually about protecting entitlement programs, while Biden highlighted the remarks to try and dissuade voters from Trump.
Biden included the remarks in a recent campaign ad and also mentioned it during a speech he delivered in New Hampshire on Monday, March 11th. He accused Trump of stating that entitlement cuts were “on the table again” and promised that he would “stop” anyone who tries to cut entitlement programs “or raise the retirement age again.”
Other Democrats have also been pouncing on the opportunity, such as Senator Dick Durbin who said that Biden seems to understand that although “the ravings” of Trump “are largely ignored,” they will “bring him to account for reckless remarks” every time the former president “hits one of these sweet spots” that many voters are concerned about. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Gary Peters said that “defending” such programs “is a priority” for his party, and they would continue promoting that message.
Trump’s campaign claimed on social media that his remarks were about “cutting waste.”
In an email response to Business Insider about Trump’s remarks, his campaign reiterated that claim and said that Trump “delivered on his promise” to protect Social Security and Medicaid during his first term. The spokesperson added that the former president would continue that approach in a second term, accusing Biden of posing the true threat to such programs by allowing “millions of illegal aliens” into the country, which could result in the collapse of entitlement programs.
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