In his first major speech since leaving the White House, Former President Joe Biden on Tuesday sharply criticized the Trump administration’s sweeping government reforms, warning that the changes threaten Americans’ retirement and disability benefits.
"Less than 100 days in, this administration has already caused so much damage – it’s breathtaking how quickly it’s happened," Biden told a gathering of disability rights advocates in Chicago.
The 82-year-old Democrat accused President Donald Trump’s team of undermining the Social Security Administration, saying it had forced out some 7,000 employees. “They’ve taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration,” Biden said, referring to the agency responsible for managing retirement and disability payments for millions of Americans.
Dressed in a blue suit and tie and standing before a backdrop of American flags, Biden spoke for nearly an hour. At times, he showed signs of aging – a factor he acknowledged when announcing his decision not to seek reelection last year.
Biden’s remarks reflect growing concerns among Democrats and advocacy groups over the Trump administration’s rapid restructuring of key federal agencies, which critics argue could erode the quality and accessibility of essential public services.
He stumbled over some sentences as he read from a teleprompter and struggled to get through winding off-the-cuff anecdotes, cutting himself off with a favorite phrase, "anyway."
President Trump, in a jab at Biden, posted a short video on social media of one of the rambling anecdotes, without comment. Biden's choice of topic, Social Security, aimed to ramp up pressure on Trump over his rampaging government overhaul efforts.
He highlighted staff reductions at the agency that Trump and his billionaire aide, Elon Musk, have pushed as part of their "Department of Government Efficiency," saying the Social Security website is crashing and hindering retirees from getting their benefits.
The program, which more than 65 million Americans rely on, is colloquially known in Washington as the "third rail of politics" for its sensitivity to voters.
Many Americans "literally count on social security to buy food, just to get by," Biden said, and "many of these beneficiaries, it's their only income. If cut or taken away, it would be devastating for millions of people."
He bashed Trump's Commerce secretary, former hedge fund manager Howard Lutnick, over a recent remark in which he said "fraudsters" would complain about a missing check, but not his mother-in-law.
Biden scoffed at that characterization, saying, "What about the 94-year-old mother living all by herself, who doesn't have a billionaire in the family?"
