Former U.S. President Joe Biden has broken his post-office silence with a scathing critique of the Trump administration’s welfare policies, accusing it of dismantling key pillars of the nation’s social safety net.
Speaking at a disability rights event in Chicago, Biden criticized the government’s handling of Social Security, claiming it had “taken a hatchet” to a system that supports more than 67 million Americans. Though he did not mention Donald Trump by name, Biden said, “In fewer than 100 days, this new administration has done so much damage and so much destruction. It’s kind of breath-taking.”The Social Security Agency (SSA), now under a Trump appointee, is undergoing major staff cuts, with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aiming to slash 7,000 jobs—roughly 10 percent of its workforce. Musk, who has called the program “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” is leading the White House’s cost-cutting efforts.
Trump insists the reforms target fraudulent claims and benefits to illegal immigrants, not lawful citizens. On Tuesday, he signed an order barring ineligible individuals from receiving Social Security payments.
Biden, however, defended the program, calling it a “sacred promise” and emphasizing its importance to everyday Americans. The SSA fired back on X, accusing Biden of “lying” in his remarks.
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama also entered the fray, criticizing Trump’s move to freeze over $2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, calling it “unlawful and ham-handed.”The coordinated criticism marks a rare public pushback from the former Democratic leaders amid escalating policy shifts under Trump’s administration.
