As 2020 Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg casts aspersions at President Donald Trump for alleging considering cuts to Medicare and Social Security, he hinted in 2011 that such reductions should not be off the table.
“When he was running for office, Donald Trump promised not to touch Social Security, and yet as president, he’s proposed cuts,” Bloomberg Sunday.
“When I’m in the White House, I will keep my word to seniors and to the American people,” he added.
But less than a decade ago, the billionaire founder of his namesake financial news service suggested that cuts to those two programs, along with defense spending, out to be considered as a way to balance the federal budget.
“We cannot continue to say we’ve got to cut, but we can’t touch Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, defense,” Bloomberg in an interview with Fox News. “That’s virtually 90 percent of all of our spending.”
During his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly distanced himself from other Republicans like then-House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who said that cuts to those popular programs are necessary for their long-term financial survival.
In this election cycle, Democratic candidates like Bloomberg have falsely claimed that President Trump is now considering Medicare and Social Security cuts.
“We’re not touching Medicare,” Trump United States governors last week. “We want to keep Medicare. We’re not touching Social Security. … We’re not decreasing Medicaid.”