‘Going to be good for 90 years’: Trump defends record on Social Security

United States President Donald Trump has marked the 90th day of Social Security with a defence of his administration’s policies toward the programme — and attacks connected his Democratic rivals.

On Thursday, Trump signed a statesmanlike proclamation successful the Oval Office, wherein helium acknowledged the “monumental” value of the societal safety-net programme.

“I recommit to ever defending Social Security,” the proclamation reads.

“To this day, Social Security is rooted successful a elemental promise: those who gave their careers to gathering our Nation volition ever person the support, stability, and alleviation they deserve.”

But Trump’s 2nd word arsenic president has been dogged by accusations that helium has undermined programmes similar Social Security successful the pursuit of different docket items, including his restructuring of the national government.

Social Security successful the US draws connected payroll taxes to money monthly payments to the elderly, the spouses of deceased workers, and the disabled. For galore recipients, the payouts are a superior root of income during retirement.

The programme is considered wide popular: In 2024, the Pew Research Center recovered that 79 percent of Americans judge Social Security should not beryllium chopped successful immoderate way.

Additionally, 4 retired of 10 radical surveyed sided with the presumption that Social Security should beryllium expanded to see much radical and much benefits.

But the programme faces important hurdles to its semipermanent feasibility.

Last year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) published a report that recovered the costs for old-age, disablement and survivors’ security outstripped the programmes’ income.

It noted that the spot funds fuelling those programmes “are projected to go depleted during 2033” if measures are not taken to reverse the trend.

At Thursday’s Oval Office appearance, Trump sought to soothe those concerns, portion taking a swipe astatine the Democratic Party.

“ You support proceeding stories that successful six years, 7 years, Social Security volition beryllium gone,” Trump said.

“And it volition beryllium if the Democrats ever get progressive due to the fact that they don’t cognize what they’re doing. But it’s going to beryllium astir a agelong clip with us.”

He added that Social Security was “going to beryllium destroyed” nether his Democratic predecessor, erstwhile President Joe Biden, a predominant people for his attacks.

Criticism of Trump’s way record

But Trump himself has faced disapproval for weakening Social Security since returning to the White House for a 2nd word successful January.

Early on, Trump and his then-adviser Elon Musk laid retired plans to slash the national workforce and trim spending, including by targeting the Social Security Administration (SSA).

In February, the Social Security Administration said it would “reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure”, echoing Trump and Musk’s rhetoric.

The projected layoffs and incentives for aboriginal status were designed to chopped Social Security’s unit from 57,000 to 50,000, a 12.3-percent decrease.

Under Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has besides announced plans to pare backmost Social Security’s telephone services, though it has since backtracked successful the look of nationalist outcry.

In addition, Musk and Trump person attacked Social Security’s reputation, with the erstwhile advisor telling podcast big Joe Rogan, “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi strategy of each time.”

The 2 men adjacent claimed Social Security is paying benefits to millions of long-dead individuals, though critics constituent retired that those claims bash not look to beryllium true.

The COBOL programming strategy utilized by the Social Security Administration marks incomplete entries with birthdates acceptable 150 years back, according to the quality mag Wired. Those entries, however, mostly bash not person benefits.

The Office of the Inspector General overseeing the Social Security Administration has repeatedly looked into these older entries. It confirmed that these entries are not active.

“We admit that astir nary of the numberholders discussed successful the study presently person SSA payments,” a report from 2023 said.

It besides indicated that the Social Security Administration would person to wage betwixt $5.5m and $9.7m to update its programming, though the changes would output “limited benefits” successful the combat against fraud.

Still, Trump doubled down connected the assertion that dormant radical were receiving benefits connected Thursday.

“We had 12.4 cardinal names wherever they were implicit 120 years old,” Trump said. “There were astir 135,000 radical listed who were implicit 160 years aged and, successful immoderate cases, getting payments. So somebody’s getting those payments.”

Questions aft ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

Critics person besides questioned whether Trump’s propulsion to chopped taxes volition person semipermanent effects that erode Social Security.

In July, Trump’s signature portion of legislation, the alleged One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), cemented his 2017 taxation cuts. It besides accrued the taxation deductions for earners who trust connected tips oregon Social Security benefits.

But groups similar the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan deliberation tank, estimation that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act volition shorten the timeline for Social Security’s insolvency.

“The instrumentality dictates that erstwhile the spot funds deplete their reserves, payments are constricted to incoming revenues,” the committee said successful precocious July.

“For the Social Security status program, we estimation that means a 24 percent payment chopped successful precocious 2032, aft the enactment of OBBBA.”

Still, Trump has repeatedly promised to support Social Security from immoderate payment cuts. He reiterated that pledge successful Thursday’s appearance.

“American seniors, each azygous day, we’re going to combat for them. We’re going to marque them richer, better, stronger successful truthful galore antithetic ways,” Trump said.

“But Social Security is beauteous overmuch the 1 that we deliberation about, and we emotion it, and we emotion what’s happening with it, and it’s going to beryllium bully for 90 years and beyond.”

More than 69.9 cardinal Americans received Social Security benefits arsenic of July.