Summary
The White House scrambled to clarify comments from Elon Musk suggesting cuts to Social Security and Medicare, insisting no such plans exist.
Musk, speaking on Fox Business, criticized entitlement spending, sparking viral backlash. Trump’s administration defended Musk and attacked journalist Jake Sherman for misrepresenting his remarks.
Officials cited reports on fraud and waste but claimed benefits would remain intact. Elon Musk has repeatedly criticized Social Security, labeling it a “Ponzi scheme.”
Critics fear Trump could use fraud reduction efforts as a pretext for cuts despite his assurances otherwise.
OK but then pay me back so I can put it into my IRA and retire ten years sooner.
I need to keep that Samuel L Jackson clip on hand for when I hear retirees that voted for little d saying they didn’t vote for this.
YES YOU DID!
And of course Elmo has no idea what a ponzi scheme really is…
Dammit, Daily Beast, these are not “entitlements”. They are programs Americans were forced to pay into with the guarantee that they would receive proportional benefits.
Entitlement is literally the term for social security and Medicare because those who’ve paid into them their whole lives are 100% entitled to receive payments from those programs.
Doesn’t that just mean that we’re entitled to, or owed a return, on that money?
Is it just an issue with connotation of that word? Or is it actually not an entitlement?
Exactly. If they cut Social Security, I’m signing a class action lawsuit against the federal government for every penny I’ve put in.
Gotta keep the right wing framing!
yeah and ugh. but tbh we see this wording even from outlets surprisingly far to the left. (of a depressingly right-shifted so-called center, but anyway.)
Using the original meaning of a word and not chasing off on the euphemism treadmill is hardly shifting to the right.
The simple fact of the matter is that the word has become loaded and is now seen as a negative thing.
Yeah, much like the term “liberal”. Decades of trashing the term and now people often look like they are admitting to some kind of crime when they say they are liberal.
My republican parents are like “no way he’ll cut social security” Man I hate this
Did you ask them what they would do if he did?
I asked my maga father that, the only answer he could come with is the “Trump promised he wouldn’t touch it”. These people are pathetically brainwashed into believing that Trump is looking out for their interests and not his own self indulgent bullshit.
This may be good in the end, it will force a revolution attempt at least
not enough organized socialists for that.
if people arent up to date with their political theory and history, always assume its gonna be for the worse.
I’m afraid there won’t even be an attempt to fight back and that’s incredibly depressing
It can always get much much worse
join your favorite leftist org. they are probably already trying to do stuff with what they have, and the more the merrier.
I’m in England and I already have :)
nice
insisting no such plans exist.
Like how all those other plans to cut departments didn’t exist?
The White House has lost credibility, expect Social Security and Medicare to be cut.
To be fair, nothing about how they’ve been shutting things down appears to be planned at all
You’d be better off asking if any concepts of such a plan exists.
We Gotta pay for those trillions in tax rebates for billionaires and corporations. How else are they going to buy what’s left of America after they purposely crash the economy. Americans will be tapped out at that point but the working class in Greenland and Canada still has assets so we’ll invade them so the oligarchs can steal their working classes wealth too.
It’s really sad - my in-laws are in their mid-to-late 70s and are currently applying to jobs because they’re convinced that Social Security will go away. I hate to see older folks so scared by this lunacy.
Yeah, my dad finally retired this year at 70… And now he’s looking for a new job, because he’s concerned his social security is going to vanish overnight.
The rich and right wing will say these groups should have invested better, worked harder, or taken better opportunities…people did all those things and are still struggling. It’s wank, and so unfair.
The thing is, my in-laws have plenty of money in the bank, plus two adult children who are very successful and would help them out if needed, no questions asked. It’s not entirely rational - I think it’s the uncertainty more than anything that has them scared. Which really sucks. :(
Were they also Trump voters by any chance?
I’m assuming no if they think they’ll actually be impacted.
No, they both voted for Harris.
I mean… they’re going to do it anyway.
Yeah, they are just slightly concerned about him openly saying it.
Critics fear Trump could use fraud reduction efforts as a pretext for cuts despite his assurances otherwise.
That is their entire intent. Whatever they don’t like, just brand it as something you don’t like, make it a problem and then deal with the problem. Regardless of what anyone thinks, you only make yourself look good.
We’re not taking away your Social Security benefit. We’re upgrading it to a huge Trumpcial Muskurity benefit. We’re going to cut loose all the freeloaders and give hard-working Americans a one-time payment of $5,000.
They’re gonna invest your SS money into memecoins
Oh, God. That’s exactly what they’re going to do, isn’t it? And everyone on benefits is going to cheer for it imagining themselves as the newly rich.
His followers don’t care. They still believe there are 150 year olds on the parole. No proof needed for these “people”. They don’t care about reality.
Says won’t do it, does it anyway. Do you think the idiots will learn?
Nope!
Musk = POS Nazi wannabe!
Wannabe?
