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George Rasley, CHQ Editor

Why Is Trump Channeling Democrat Talking Points?

In another of Donald Trump’s failures of message discipline the former President took a

swipe at a completely non-existent problem – the imaginary idea that House Republicans plan to “cut” Social Security and/or Medicare to solve the Nation’s debt crisis.


On Friday Reuters reported Trump warned his fellow Republicans on Friday not to "destroy" federal retirement and health benefits as they try to exact spending cuts from President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies in the looming debate over the debt ceiling.

"Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," Trump said in a two-minute video message posted to social media. "Do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security. Don't destroy it!"


Trump’s video is a warning to his fellow party members not to go there. Instead, he suggests targeting foreign aid, cracking down on migration, ending “left wing gender programs from our military,” and “billions being spent on climate extremism.”


Social Security, which provides retirement and disability payments, accounted for 17% of federal spending in the 2021 fiscal year, while Medicare, the health-insurance program for seniors, accounted for 13%, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Both programs are projected to grow dramatically in coming years due to an aging population, Reuters reported.


The Washington Post reported, “Some GOP lawmakers have raised the prospect of seeking changes to popular entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare.” However, the Nation’s newspaper of record failed to identify one Republican lawmaker who advocated cutting Social Security or Medicare.


The Democrats’ imaginary GOP plan to cut Social Security was helped when Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) issued a midterm campaign agenda that called for requiring all legislation to be renewed every five years — or wiped off the books.


Democrats stressed that Social Security and Medicare were created by legislation and claimed Scott and his plan wanted to “cut” Social Security and Medicare when Scott’s proposal said no such thing.


However, at event after event, Biden accused Republicans of wanting to put the two programs “on the chopping block,” pointing to Scott’s plan, even though it made no explicit call to cut Medicare or Social Security.


While it is true Republicans have vowed not to raise the federal government’s borrowing capacity unless Biden makes steep cuts to federal spending, but no one has mentioned “cutting” Social Security or Medicare. Indeed, the last Republican to talk seriously about Social Security or Medicare “reform” was now-disgraced former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.


The Washington Post’s John Wagner observed Mr. Trump seems to blame Mitt Romney’s loss in the 2012 presidential election on his running mate. Trump said that Romney was hurt by Ryan’s previous calls to change Social Security and other entitlement programs for the elderly.

“That was the end of that campaign, by the way, when they chose Ryan,” Trump said in February 2016. “And I like him. He’s a nice person, but that was the end of the campaign.”


Shortly after Republican nominee Romney picked Ryan as his running mate, the progressive policy group Agenda Project Action Fund ran an ad attacking Ryan’s stance on Medicare that showed an elderly woman in a wheelchair being thrown off a cliff by a man in a dark suit. The message on the screen: “Mitt Romney made his choice. … Now you have to make yours.”


With all due respect to the former President, as far as we can tell, the only people actually talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare are Democrats engaging in their biannual game of accusing Republicans of wanting to push Grandma off a cliff.


Someone should tell former President Trump that Paul Ryan is (praise the Lord) no longer Speaker and when he raises imaginary issues – like House Republicans wanting to “cut” Social Security or Medicare – all he is doing is helping the Democrats undermine Kevin McCarthy – the present Speaker of the House whom he helped install.



  • Debt ceiling

  • Republicans

  • spending cuts

  • federal deficit

  • national debt

  • Donald Trump

  • Social Security

  • Medicare

  • Kevin McCarthy

  • federal budget

  • Trump tax cuts

324 views9 comments

9件のコメント


Charles Wilkins
Charles Wilkins
2023年1月29日

HOW LONG CAN THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY STALL CONGRESS INVESTIGATIONS FOR ANSWERS? More than 150 transactions involving either President Biden's brother James Biden or son Hunter Biden's global business affairs have been flagged for further review by U.S. banks. Some of the transactions were flagged because large wire transfers were involved. CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge joined "CBS News Mornings" to discuss. Show me the money? Where is the public right to know? Biden crime family making corrupt dollars on the back s of the tax payers? Why have these checks not been released for criminal review which was the intent of the banks? Why is the DOJ FBI TREASURE department blocking the laws of our Country?


いいね!

joelyboy5
2023年1月26日

I think Trump knows that he has lost a lot of favor with the base because of his pomposity and vindictiveness. This country needs to be led by a strong leader but one that also can unify at least a part of both sides and the middle. Most people read that and read. 'weak.' FAR FROM IT! It is possible, maybe not with Trump, to be a strong, non-capitulating leader and be civil at the same time. That is the mark of a true leader. Reagan could, Trump can't, at least up to now. The Repubs are not like the libs. They are in 'lock-step.' Repubs have: RINO's; establishment; progressives; Conservatives; ultra-Connservatives; etc.. If he can't unify, and he doesn'…

いいね!
dgj
dgj
2023年1月26日
返信先

Why is civility so important? I don't believe that Little Joe Biden has been civil to those of us who have a difference of opinion. I believe that Biden has divided this country more than Donald Trump ever did. Trump will say "fake news," or say "enemy of the People," or come up with goofy nicknames for his critics. Biden will give a national address to call his political opponents domestic terrorists, a "threat" to our country. Biden uses the power of gov't to go after his opposition. Do you feel that Biden has been civil with "Jan 6th" protestors? Has he been civil with Trump? Trump once called Obama a "sicko" but we didn't see Trump raid Obama's home.…

いいね!

startrek3010
2023年1月25日

Trump 45 & 47! MAGA forever! Deo vindice!!!

いいね!

startrek3010
2023年1月25日

Easily the two best presidents of my lifetime are Uncle Ronnie and President Trump. So far be it from me to question anything Trump does. He is the leader of the GOP--nobody else is close. I can hardly wait to re-elect him in 2024 . . . !

いいね!

kenmarx
2023年1月25日

Frankly, Mitt Romney blew his campaign all by himself. Paul Ryan was just froth in the cup. Trump has a way of telling the truth and sounding like a pompous idiot. He's like the Kevin Costner character in Dances with Wolves who rides back and forth between Union and Confederate forces who are shooting at each other and comes out unscathed in the end. Why do Republicans so readily allow the Democrats to frame the conversation?

いいね!
joelyboy5
2023年1月26日
返信先

Because they are stupid AND they are chasing the 'narrative and drama' instead of simply addressing the ISSUE. They fall all over themselves trying to make it 'look' like they are doing good and right instead of just 'doing it.' They feel compelled to defend themselves against spurious attacks and accusations. Every time they do that the radicals 'know' they have their number. They distract them from the real issue to try and defend themselves from the inane. It's political theater, though they may not intend it to be.

いいね!
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