In a CNBC call on Monday, Donald Trump made comments suggesting potential cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits, prompting swift responses from both his campaign and President Joe Biden.
These benefits are critical for the financial support of retired and disabled workers, making Trump's statements particularly contentious.
In response to a question that touched on the stock market, oil drilling, and the COVID pandemic, Trump told CNBC's Joe Kernen, "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."
He further speculated, "I know that they're going to end up weakening Social Security because the country is weak," hinting at potential actions by the Biden administration.
Trump's campaign was quick to address his comments, issuing a statement to clarify that Trump's intention was to focus on "protecting entitlements like Social Security and Medicare" and eliminating "waste and fraud" within these programs.
Conversely, President Biden leveraged Trump's remarks to underscore his own commitment to safeguarding these essential programs.
Speaking to a New Hampshire audience, Biden stated, "I won't cut Social Security and I won't cut Medicare," as reported by CNN. He pledged to "protect and strengthen Social Security, Medicare and make the wealthy begin to pay their fair share."
As of yet, representatives for Trump have not responded to request for comment.
