"Understanding Trump's Stance on Social Security and Medicare"
Former President Donald Trump's stance on Social Security and Medicare has been inconsistent over the years, from calling Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" in 2000 to endorsing Medicare restructuring in 2012 to positioning himself as the protector of those programs in 2016. While his fiscal 2021 budget endorsed Social Security cuts, his White House budgets didn't call for Medicare benefit cuts. Trump's 2024 campaign has seen him attacking Republican rivals for supporting cuts in retirement benefits, but he hasn't laid out his own plan or indicated a departure from GOP orthodoxy on financing the programs.