Donald Trump is set to be attacked – from the right – over his stance on Social Security, which the former president has vowed to leave untouched.
Club for Growth, a conservative organization focusing on economic issues (see draconian), is airing a new ad targeting Trump.
“The ad, first shared with CBS News, is from [Club for Growth’s] issue advocacy wing and is a five-digit buy that will air Saturday and Sunday on the CW channel in the D.C. market,” CBS reported. Why the CW channel? Because CW will be airing the LIV golf tournament, which happens to be hosted on Trump’s very own Washington D.C. golf course.
The ad “will also be appearing digitally and is geofenced around the course.”
The ad goes after Trump on Social Security
The new ad will criticize Trump’s take on Social Security – by comparing Trump’s take to President Joe Biden’s. “Both have said they won’t touch it, even though the Social Security trust fund is projected to run out of money in the next decade if nothing is done to extend it.”
The ad references a report, from the Social Security trust fund trustee board, “that says benefits for seniors could be slashed by 23% after 2033, if the trust fund is depleted.”
Employing a golf-pun to coincide with the golf tournament, the ad’s narrator says: “With Donald Trump, it’s par for the course. Another plan that cheats people out of what they earned.”
If the new ad is any indication, entitlement programs are going to be a hot topic throughout the GOP primary. “Entitlement reforms, and where politicians stand on the issue, have become a frequent topic for the field of declared and aspiring Republican presidential contenders,” CBS reported.
Trump himself, despite suggesting in the past that he would consider axing entitlement programs, has recently vowed to leave the programs undisturbed. “Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security,” Trump said in March.
Trump has even weaponized entitlement programs, attacking Florida Governor (and number one GOP challenger) Ron DeSantis who voted as a congressman to raise the retirement age and spoke of “restructuring” Social Security “in a way that’s going to be financially sustainable.”
Trump, speaking about DeSantis from the campaign trail, said “he wanted to decimate [entitlements] and voted against it three times. I will not be cutting Medicare and I will not be cutting Social Security.”
Where the candidates stand on Social Security
While Trump has promised not to touch entitlements (take that promise with a grain of salt), the other GOP candidates have signaled a willingness to make changes. DeSantis of course has voted for raising the retirement age. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also expected to run for president, has said that raising the retirement age “certainly should be on the table” but that changes shouldn’t be made to anyone over 40.
Then, there’s former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley who believes entitlements should be reformed for younger generations, namely raising the retirement age. So, to clarify, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence are all for preserving entitlements for their own generation but for modifying entitlements for my generation. I’ll tell you what, maybe I’m being simplistic, self-centered, and short-sighted – but that tact isn’t going to win my vote. Not a chance.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
