President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that Social Security and Medicare are "going to be gone," marking the first time in history a politician has successfully campaigned on eliminating the thing his voters need to afford prescription medications.
Trump stated that without a budget agreement, "they're going to lose Medicaid, they're going to lose Social Security, they're going to lose Medicare, all of those things are going to be gone because the whole country would be bankrupt." The president's older voter base, which gave him a decisive edge in 2024, reportedly nodded along while mentally calculating how many months of rent they have left.
The warning comes after Trump's administration closed dozens of Social Security field offices and cut approximately 300 employees from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in what advisors called "a really efficient way to preview what gone looks like."
Former Presidential advisor Elon Musk has identified Social Security and Medicare as prime targets for elimination, explaining that entitlement programs represent wasteful spending to people who are, quite literally, entitled to them after paying into the system for 40 years. Musk's efficiency proposals have been praised by seniors who worked their entire lives for benefits they will now efficiency themselves out of receiving.
Political analysts noted that Trump's approval rating among voters over 65 has dropped 13 points, though researchers believe this is due to "simple math finally kicking in" rather than any fundamental reassessment of policy positions.
Meanwhile, Trump's proposal to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits would push the program's trust fund $950 billion closer to insolvency by 2035, which advisors describe as "technically protecting Social Security until the moment it ceases to exist."
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