Biden Defends Social Security in First Public Appearance Since Leaving Office

Former U.S. President Joe Biden returned to the political spotlight on Tuesday, defending Social Security and accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of undermining the critical program through what he described as “destructive” actions.

In his first public speech since leaving office in January, Biden addressed a national conference of advocates and counselors for the disabled in Chicago, warning that Trump has “taken a hatchet” to the Social Security Administration (SSA). “In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and destruction. It’s kind of breathtaking,” said the 82-year-old Democrat, noting that the SSA has lost 7,000 additional employees, many of them seasoned professionals, with more expected to be pushed out.

Biden criticized the Republican approach, saying: “Why are these guys taking aim at Social Security now? They’re following that whole line from tech startups—‘move fast, break things.’ Well, they’re certainly breaking things. They’re shooting first and aiming later.” He echoed former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley’s concerns, quoting him: “They want to wreck it so they can rob it.”

According to Biden, the motive behind the cuts is to finance massive tax breaks for billionaires and large corporations. He warned that Republicans are using the growing national debt as a pretext to gut programs like Social Security and Medicaid, which Americans have paid into for generations. “Republicans—these guys—are willing to hurt the middle class and the working class in order to deliver significantly greater wealth to the already very wealthy,” he said. “Who in the hell do they think they are?”