Trump's Shift on Social Security: A Tale of Contrasts with DeSantis
Former President Donald Trump once suggested raising the retirement age to 70 and privatizing Social Security, which he called a "Ponzi scheme." However, his campaign has repeatedly criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting similar ideas in the past. A CNN KFile review found that Trump's stance on Social Security has shifted over the years, with him initially praising Paul Ryan's budget plans that called for privatizing the program, only to later slam them as a "disaster." Trump's comments have been at odds with his current campaign's claims that he has consistently protected entitlements and would not touch Social Security or Medicare.
Key Takeaways:
- In 2000, Trump wrote in "The America We Deserve" that he would consider privatizing Social Security and raising the retirement age to 70.
- Trump praised Paul Ryan's budget plans in 2012, which included privatizing Medicare and Social Security, but later called them a "disaster."
- Trump's campaign has repeatedly cited DeSantis' votes in Congress for nonbinding budget resolutions that would have raised the retirement age to 70, despite Trump's own past support for similar ideas.
- In a 1999 interview, Trump said he was open to privatizing Social Security, but didn't like the idea.
- Trump's stance on Social Security has shifted over the years, with him initially defending Ryan's budget plans and later slamming them as a "disaster."
- Trump's 2016 campaign claimed that his administration would not change entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, but a 2020 budget from his White House did propose reducing spending on Medicare.
- Trump has walked back his comments on entitlements multiple times, including in 2020 when he said cuts would eventually be on the table.
Statistics:
- Trump proposed raising the retirement age to 70 in his 2000 book.
- DeSantis voted for nonbinding budget resolutions that would have raised the retirement age to 70 in Congress.
- 17 trillion: The amount of budget and debt mentioned by Trump in 2012 when discussing Paul Ryan's budget plans.
- 2012: The year Trump praised Ryan's budget plans and defended his plans to save Medicare.
- 2020: The year Trump said cuts to entitlements would eventually be on the table.
Sources:
- "The America We Deserve" by Donald Trump (2000)
- Interview with NBC News' Tim Russert (1999)
- Interview with CNBC (January 2020)
- Fox News appearance with Sean Hannity (October 2012)
- Budget from Trump's White House (2020)
- CNN KFile review of Trump's comments on Social Security.