Former President Joe Biden delivers a powerful rebuke of the Trump administration’s handling of Social Security on April 15, 2025, in his first major public speech since leaving the White House in January, marking a significant re-emergence onto the national stage. Speaking at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, the 82-year-old Democrat addresses a crowd of about 130 disability advocates, condemning the administration’s actions as “breathtaking” and “devastating” for the millions of Americans who rely on the program. Biden, often speaking in a hushed tone with moments of forceful conviction, avoids mentioning President Donald Trump by name, instead referring to him as “this guy,” while accusing the administration of taking a “hatchet” to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in fewer than 100 days since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. The speech coincides with a Democratic “Save Social Security Day of Action,” amplifying concerns about the program’s future under Trump’s leadership.
Biden’s address, lasting nearly 30 minutes, highlights the SSA’s recent challenges, including the loss of 7,000 employees due to staffing cuts and office closures, which he claims have led to severe service disruptions. He points to increased outages on the SSA’s “my Social Security” benefits portal, noting that the technology division has been slashed by half, causing website crashes and preventing beneficiaries from accessing their accounts. Biden also references a controversial plan, partially reversed on April 14, that would have required in-person identity checks for recipients, a policy he calls potentially “idiotic” and part of a broader strategy to undermine the program. He accuses Republicans of intentionally “wrecking” the agency to “rob” its trust fund, alleging that the administration aims to fund an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy by cutting Social Security benefits. Biden’s former Social Security Commissioner, Martin O’Malley, who introduces him at the event, echoes this sentiment, stating that Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have “gutted the Social Security Administration with a chainsaw” and calling administration claims of widespread fraud a “big lie.”
The former president also takes aim at specific administration figures, albeit indirectly. He mocks Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comment from a March 2025 podcast, where Lutnick suggests his 94-year-old mother-in-law “wouldn’t call and complain” if she missed a Social Security check, a statement Biden uses to paint the administration as detached from the struggles of ordinary Americans. Biden further criticizes Musk, a key Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), for calling Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time” in a recent statement, asking rhetorically, “A Ponzi scheme—what the hell are they talking about? People earn these benefits.” Biden emphasizes the program’s reliability over its 90-year history since its creation under President Franklin Roosevelt, noting that beneficiaries have received their checks through wars, recessions, and pandemics—until now, as he claims the Trump administration’s actions create “profound” psychological fear among recipients, particularly the elderly and disabled, who worry about delayed or interrupted payments.
The White House responds swiftly to Biden’s remarks. Hours before the speech, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announces that Trump will sign a presidential memorandum on April 15 aimed at “stopping illegal aliens and other ineligible people” from obtaining Social Security benefits, expanding a fraud prosecution program to at least 50 U.S. attorney’s offices. Leavitt takes a jab at Biden during a press briefing, saying, “I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime—I thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight,” a comment that draws criticism for its ageist tone given Trump’s own age of 78. The SSA also pushes back via its official X account, posting, “Former President Joe Biden is lying to Americans,” and listing points to counter his claims, including Trump’s repeated promises to protect benefits and a $16.5 million investment in modernizing telephone services in March 2025. The agency cites a 2022 Inspector General report from Biden’s presidency, which found $72 billion in improper payments from 2015 to 2022, to deflect criticism.
Biden’s speech carries broader political undertones, reflecting the deep divisions in American politics. He warns that the nation has “never been this divided,” pointing to a “thirty percent” of the country that he says “has no heart,” a sharp barb aimed at Trump supporters, whom he accuses of lacking basic decency. Biden ties the SSA cuts to a Republican funding package that would make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, arguing that the administration and GOP lawmakers are willing to “hurt the middle class, working class, in order to deliver significant, greater wealth to the already very wealthy.” Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, amplify Biden’s message, declaring April 15 a “Day of Action” to oppose Republican plans to “gut Social Security.” Jeffries, earlier that day, calls the administration’s actions “unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-American,” specifically criticizing Trump, Musk, and House Republicans for dismantling SSA offices.
The backdrop to Biden’s speech is a tumultuous political landscape. Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election, steps back from the 2024 race in July 2024 after a poor debate performance, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the Democratic nominee. Harris loses to Trump in November 2024, and Biden leaves office with a low approval rating of 38%, according to a January 2025 Reuters/Ipsos poll, battered by high inflation and questions about his mental acuity during his term. Trump, since returning to power, frequently attacks Biden, calling him “the worst president in American history” and blaming him for economic struggles, though Trump’s own tariff policies—such as a 125% levy on Chinese imports announced in April 2025—have thrown markets into disarray. Biden’s decision to speak out comes after months of relative silence, with only minor appearances, such as at a Model United Nations event in New York in March 2025 and an honorary membership ceremony with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers earlier in April.
The Social Security program itself faces long-term challenges, as outlined in its 2024 annual report, which states that the trust fund for the elderly can pay 100% of scheduled benefits until 2033, after which reserves would be depleted, covering only 79% of benefits without changes. The Trump administration’s actions exacerbate these concerns, with Musk’s DOGE overseeing significant federal workforce reductions, including at the SSA, where layoffs in the IT department have led to system crashes. The administration also faces a lawsuit over DOGE’s access to Social Security numbers, raising privacy concerns. Meanwhile, Democrats like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who praises Biden’s empathy at the conference, warn that the SSA’s policy shifts—such as initial plans for in-person identity verification—could lead to longer wait times, improper claim denials, and delayed benefit checks, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
Breaking news updates as of 10:24 AM PDT on April 16 reveal mixed reactions to Biden’s speech. Posts on X show a polarized response, with users like @TVivlia mocking Trump’s past statements on Social Security while others, such as @JeanRobertsGym, dismiss Biden as a “loser” tied to corruption allegations. The SSA announces on April 16 that it will roll out new AI-powered tools to streamline claim processing, a move it claims will address some of Biden’s criticisms, though advocates remain skeptical. Meanwhile, the ACRD conference, co-chaired by former Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), continues today with panels on protecting Social Security, drawing bipartisan attendance but underscoring the contentious debate over the program’s future. Biden’s re-emergence, while galvanizing for some Democrats, draws caution from others, with strategist Karen Finney noting on April 15 that his return might distract from Trump’s economic policy blowback, such as the tariff-induced market chaos. As the 2026 midterms loom, Biden’s speech positions Social Security as a defining issue, testing the Democratic Party’s ability to rally against Trump’s agenda while navigating its own internal divisions.
Sources:
- Video: [Biden Slams GOP in First Major Post-Presidency Speech]
- Web sources: washingtonpost.com, abcnews.go.com, cnn.com, axios.com, apnews.com, nytimes.com, foxnews.com, reuters.com, nbcnews.com, wbez.org, politico.com, san.com, news.webindia123.com, theguardian.com, pbs.org, outlookindia.com, tribuneindia.com, chicagotribune.com, aninews.in
- Posts on X reflecting public sentiment and updates
