Former President Joe Biden has accused President Donald Trump and Elon Musk of “taking a hatchet” to Social Security in his first major speech since leaving the White House in January.
Speaking at the national conference of Advocates, Counsellors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago on Tuesday, Biden criticised the cuts implemented by the Trump administration and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
“In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction,” Biden said. “It’s kind of breathtaking it can happen that soon.”
The 82-year-old former President avoided mentioning Trump by name during his nearly 30-minute address, instead referring to “this new administration”.
Joe Biden has made his first major speech since leaving office as US President
Reuters
Biden pointed to reductions of 7,000 employees at the Social Security Administration, warning that the administration is “getting ready to push thousands more out of the door”.
He highlighted that layoffs to the agency’s technology division have resulted in its website crashing, causing concern among beneficiaries about delayed payments.
The former President expressed particular concern about the impact on vulnerable Americans who rely on Social Security benefits.
“You’ve got to ask yourself: Why is this happening?” Biden said. “They’re following that old line from tech startups. The quote is, ‘Move fast. Break things.’ They’re certainly breaking things.”
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The former US President claimed Donald Trump and Elon Musk are ‘taking a hatchet’ to social security
Reuters
Biden specifically criticised Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and a key figure in Trump’s administration, for referring to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”.
“A Ponzi scheme?” Biden said. “What the hell are they talking about? People earn these benefits. They paid into that benefit. They rely on that benefit.”
The former President also mocked claims pushed by Musk and Trump that deceased Americans 200 and 300 years old are receiving Social Security benefits.
“By the way, those 300-year-old folk getting that Social Security ‒ I want to meet him because I’d like to figure out how they live that long,” Biden said, drawing laughs from the audience.
Biden described Social Security as “more than a government program” but rather “a sacred promise” that the nation made to its citizens.
Biden criticised Elon Musk for referring to Social Security as a ‘Ponzi scheme’
Reuters
“In the 90 years since Franklin Roosevelt created the social security system, people have always gotten their social security checks,” Biden said. “But now for the first time ever, that might change.”
He continued by warning such a disruption would be “a calamity for millions of families”.
“How do you sleep at night?” he asked of those implementing the cuts.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Biden’s speech by mocking his age. “I’m shocked that he is speaking at night time. I thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight,” she told reporters.
The Social Security Administration pushed back against Biden’s remarks on its official X account, writing: “Former President Joe Biden is lying to Americans.”
