[Full video below.] President Joe Biden broke his post-White House silence with a sharp critique of how the Trump administration has approached Social Security, warning that its policies are threatening the program and those who rely on it.
During a half-hour speech delivered Tuesday to a gathering of disability rights advocates, Biden, speaking in a measured and subdued tone, refrained from naming President Donald Trump explicitly. Instead, he referred to him obliquely as “this guy,” and avoided launching into a direct and fiery attack.
Instead, Biden took a broader view, suggesting the Trump presidency had already left significant damage in its wake. “In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has made so much … damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breathtaking,” he said.
He lamented the polarization gripping the country. “We can’t go on like this as a divided nation, as divided as we are. Like I said, I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s never been this divided,” Biden stated. “Granted, it’s roughly 30%, but it’s a 30% that has no heart.”
Biden didn’t clarify which demographic he was referring to with the 30% remark, leaving the audience to interpret it on their own.
White House spokesman Steven Cheung wasted no time in firing back, blasting Biden’s performance and cognitive state. “His incoherent speech” revealed a “feeble mind” in “rapid decline to new lows,” Cheung said in a harsh statement.
Cheung further defended Trump’s record on the issue, stating, “President Trump has repeatedly promised to protect Social Security and ensure higher take-home pay for seniors by ending the taxation of Social Security benefits. Anybody saying otherwise is either stupid or an all-out liar, or both in Biden’s case.”
Following the 2024 election, Trump had told NBC News that he wouldn’t cut Social Security, apart from trying to improve its efficiency. Nevertheless, since Trump assumed office, the program saw significant staff reductions under Elon Musk’s oversight. Musk stirred additional controversy when he referred to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
Biden pointed to that comment during his address. “We heard others, empowered and emboldened by this administration, talk about Social Security; one of them called it a Ponzi scheme,” Biden said. “A Ponzi scheme — what the hell are they talking about? People earn these benefits. They paid into that benefit. They rely on that benefit. And no one, no one, no one should take it away.”
He also directed criticism at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — though he didn’t name him — suggesting that the secretary was disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Americans. Biden referenced Lutnick’s past remarks about his mother-in-law being indifferent to missing a Social Security payment.
“The current secretary of commerce doesn’t seem to get it, or based on his comments, he doesn’t seem to even care,” Biden said. “He said his 94-year-old mother-in-law wouldn’t complain. Wouldn’t bother her. She’s probably a lovely woman. No kidding. Her son-in-law is a billionaire. What about that 94-year-old mother living all by herself? Don’t have a billionaire in the family. All the retirees who depend on that monthly check to feed themselves. All those people with disabilities have no other source. What about all those?”
Even though Trump has routinely used his platform to ridicule Biden, Tuesday marked the first time Biden had made a public appearance since stepping down on January 20. Still, he made no effort to defend his own record or revisit his administration’s achievements.
Biden’s delivery was so soft that audience members stayed still and silent in order to catch his words, highlighting the contrast between his quiet tone and the event’s emotional stakes.
Soon after the event, Trump posted a video clip on Truth Social of Biden speaking during the event, including the line, “I had never seen, I’d never seen hardly any Black people in Scranton at the time, and I was only going on fourth grade. And I remember seeing the kids going by — at the time, called colored kids — on a bus going by.”
The video, however, left out Biden’s follow-up remark, where he said seeing the segregated school bus “sparked his outrage” and fueled his decision to get involved in politics.
Trump frequently slams Biden, once branding him “the worst president in American history.” He often claims the Biden presidency left a trail of chaos, particularly when it comes to border enforcement. During the early stretch of his renewed term, Trump blamed Biden for economic sluggishness — although his own unpredictable tariff strategy would later cause market volatility.
Biden delivered Tuesday’s speech at the Sofitel Hotel along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, addressing attendees of the Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled conference. The gathering focused on safeguarding Social Security amid concerns that Trump’s proposed restructuring could jeopardize support for many Americans.
While Biden previously addressed the National High Schools Model United Nations last month, that event was closed to the press and received little attention.
Biden, now 82, departed from public office amid growing rifts within his own party, which urged him to drop his re-election bid after a widely criticized debate against Trump in June. During that debate, Biden’s halting performance raised fresh doubts about his cognitive health.
Kamala Harris, then serving as Biden’s vice president, stepped in to claim the Democratic nomination and launched an intense 107-day campaign against Trump. Despite breaking fundraising records and energizing parts of the base, Harris ultimately fell short, losing both the popular vote and every battleground state.
In a January interview, Biden said he still believed he could have defeated Trump had he chosen to run again — though he also conceded to USA Today that he wasn’t sure he could have finished another term.
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{Matzav.com}