Former President Joe Biden is set to reemerge on the public stage Tuesday, delivering a speech at the Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference in Chicago. His focus? A warning that President Donald Trump’s policies threaten the stability of Social Security—a program conservatives view as critical but in dire need of reform to ensure its long-term viability. At 82, Biden has kept a low profile since leaving office in January, following the tradition of past presidents. Yet, with Trump frequently pointing to Biden-era policies as the root of ongoing national challenges, the former president appears ready to throw a hissy fit about it.
Who’s next, Crooked Hillary???
— Jason Miller (@JasonMiller) April 15, 2025
“Joe Biden will speak about Social Security in his return to national stage” - @ABC News https://t.co/klO2Ln57f1
Biden’s address will likely underscore Social Security’s role as a lifeline for millions of retirees, disabled Americans, and low-income families. Rachel Buck, ACRD’s executive director, praised Biden’s participation, framing it as a call for bipartisan cooperation to secure the program’s future. But conservatives argue this narrative sidesteps a hard truth: Social Security’s current trajectory is unsustainable. With an aging population and fewer workers paying into the system, the program’s trust fund is projected to face depletion within the next decade unless meaningful changes are made.
The Trump administration has proposed measures to address inefficiencies, including a controversial plan to cut 7,000 Social Security Administration (SSA) jobs and implement stricter identity verification for beneficiaries. Critics, including Biden, claim these steps risk undermining access to benefits. The SSA also faced backlash after an unintentional glitch wrongly informed some Supplemental Security Income recipients—disabled seniors and low-income individuals—that they were “not receiving benefits.” The agency quickly clarified the error, and the White House has emphasized that benefit cuts are off the table, with reforms aimed solely at curbing fraud and waste.
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Adding fuel to the debate, Elon Musk, a key Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme,” raising alarms among liberals. Musk’s involvement, including a lawsuit over his department’s access to personal data, has heightened tensions. Meanwhile, Social Security recipients have reported frustrations with long wait times and outages on the SSA’s online portal, issues conservatives attribute to bureaucratic bloat rather than underfunding.
Biden will share the stage with a bipartisan group, including former Republican Sen. Roy Blunt (MO) and former Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI), signaling an attempt to bridge divides. Former SSA Administrator Martin O’Malley called Social Security a “sacred promise,” a sentiment conservatives share but pair with a demand for fiscal responsibility. Blunt, in particular, has long advocated for pragmatic reforms to preserve the program without slashing benefits for current retirees.
Biden is giving a speech on social security today.
— Martha Birkholz (@mcbirkholz) April 15, 2025
We all can predict what he will say.
But:
Will he read a teleprompter?
Take questions?
Crowd chant 4 MoreYears??????
Biden’s speech risks being more about political posturing than solutions. His approval rating, a dismal 39 percent in a January Gallup poll, reflects public disillusionment after a term marked by economic struggles and a chaotic debate performance that ended his reelection hopes. Some argue Biden’s return is an attempt to rally Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms, leveraging Social Security as an emotional wedge issue rather than confronting its structural flaws.
Conservatives agree Social Security must be protected but insist on reforms—like raising the payroll tax cap, adjusting benefits for high earners, or incentivizing private savings—to prevent insolvency. Biden’s critique of Trump’s agenda may resonate with his base, but without addressing these realities, it’s little more than a nostalgic defense of a broken system. As he speaks in Chicago, the question remains: Will Biden offer a path forward, or simply yell at us and then whisper old talking points to score points against his successor?
Editor’s Note: Elon Musk and DOGE are bringing much-needed accountability to our out-of-control bureaucracy as they take a chainsaw to rampant waste, fraud, and abuse.
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