President Biden’s reelection campaign launched an effort in battleground states this week to hit former President Trump over his threats to Social Security and Medicare, the campaign first told The Hill.
The campaign will hold more than 13 press conferences through Friday across key swing states with local elected officials and seniors, all focused on protecting entitlement programs. The events will take place in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Milwaukee; Madison, Wisc.; Lansing, Mich.; Las Vegas and Phoenix.
The press conferences will highlight Trump’s comments suggesting that he’s open to cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
“First of all, there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in term of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements,” Trump said on CNBC this week.
The Biden campaign promptly dropped an ad with those comments.
Meanwhile, the local officials will also highlight Biden’s vows to prevent cuts to the programs, which he reiterated during his State of the Union last week.
“Many of my friends on the other side of the aisle want to put Social Security on the chopping block,” Biden said. “If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age, I will stop you.”
The campaign’s states communications director Josh Marcus-Blank said the effort will outline the stakes of attacks on entitlement programs to key voting blocs.
“The attacks on Social Security and Medicare aren't abstract for seniors — they're a legitimate threat to their livelihoods. We are making sure voters in the battlegrounds know the stakes of this election, and they'll continue to hear from local and community leaders about how Donald Trump is prioritizing more tax cuts for rich people over the wellbeing of our seniors,” Marcus-Blank said in a statement to The Hill.
The campaign has also deployed surrogates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Alliance of Retired Americans, to highlight Trump’s comments on entitlement through other channels such as on social media.
Other Democrats have also hit Trump for his remarks, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said seniors "should see" them, and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who said Biden understands the importance of Social Security.