on Monday, a departure from his previous positions in 2016 and 2020, when he vigorously defended the popular programs—though his campaign quickly claimed he’s only interested in cutting waste.Speaking about cutting the budget deficit, Trump said that “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.”
“I know that they’re going to end up weakening Social Security because the country is weak,” Trump said, adding that “people are going through hell.” The former president and presumptive Republican nominee did not offer any more details about any plans for “cutting” programs like Social Security, and instead began talking about inflation.Many conservatives have long argued that the U.S. will need to ease spending on programs like Social Security—or possibly privatize the programs—in order to reduce the growing national debt.