Research/Study
Right-wing media are coming for your retirement
Trump and conservative media have repeatedly called for cutting Social Security or raising the retirement age
Written by Zachary Pleat
Research contributions from Eric Kleefeld
Published
Conservative media have recently renewed a decadeslong assault on retirement benefits programs like Social Security and Medicare, specifically suggesting that the retirement age for Social Security eligibility, which was already increased from 65 to 67 for many Americans, should be raised even higher.
This right-wing attack on Social Security benefits coincides with former President Donald Trump suggesting during a recent CNBC interview that he may consider cuts to the program — a proposal he included in every White House budget produced during his presidency.
Select a section
- Multiple conservative media personalities called for raising the Social Security retirement age, cutting the program, or attacked it and its defenders
- Trump recently suggested he's open to cutting Social Security, and proposed cuts to funding and benefits during his presidency
- Conservative media have pushed for years to cut Social Security or further raise its retirement age
-
Multiple conservative media personalities called for raising the Social Security retirement age, cutting the program, or attacked it and its defenders
-
- Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro: “No one in the United States should be retiring at 65 years old.” On his show, Shapiro said: “Frankly, I think retirement itself is a stupid idea unless you have some sort of health problem. Everybody that I know who is — who is elderly, who has retired, is dead within five years. And if you talk to people who are elderly and they lose their purpose in life by losing their job and they stop working, things go to hell in a handbasket real quick.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 3/12/24]
-
-
-
- Shapiro: “I wish Republicans wanted to raise the retirement age or cut Social Security.” He added, “They don't actually want to do any of those things because they're too afraid of doing it.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 3/8/24]
-
-
- Shapiro's fellow Daily Wire host, Matt Walsh, rallied to his defense by attacking Social Security in multiple social media posts. On X (formerly known as Twitter), Walsh made multiple posts attacking the retirement program. He called Social Security “the most insanely unfair system ever devised,” likened it to theft, called it “an abject disaster for the working class,” claimed the middle class is “having thousands stolen from their paychecks every year to fund this insane scam,” stated that “ending the Social Security scam would be an enormous win for the middle class,” and also called it “a giant Ponzi scheme run by the state,” which is “morally indefensible and economically insane. It shouldn't exist.” [Twitter/X, 3/13/24, 3/12/24, 3/12/24, 3/12/24, 3/12/24, 3/12/24]
- Speaking on Fox Business, Steve Forbes expressed excitement for possible Trump plans to “reform” Social Security “for young people, where they'll get their own personal account.” Forbes added, “Something to juice up the young people, Trump needs that.” [Fox Business, Varney & Co., 3/4/24]
-
-
- On Fox Business, former Trump Office of Management and Budget chief economist Vance Ginn said he would encourage Trump to cut Social Security benefits for younger Americans. Ginn said: “The main thing that's driving the overall budget up like it is, when you think about Social Security and Medicare, and there are some things that I think we can do in order to make sure those who are already in retirement or near retirement aren't affected. But younger Americans, like myself and others, we should be able to see … some changes for the future, whether that's private savings accounts or some sort of program like health savings accounts.” [Fox Business, Cavuto: Coast to Coast, 2/28/24]
-
-
- Heritage Foundation senior fellow Steve Moore: “One of the most evil left-wing organizations in America is the AARP.” Moore, speaking at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), continued: “They are responsible for trillions of dollars in taxes, trillions of dollars of higher spending.” Moore also called for a pledge from attendees not to join the AARP. The AARP is a nonprofit organization that advocates for benefits for older Americans, including Social Security. [Twitter/X, 2/24/24; AARP, accessed 3/13/24]
- Newsmax guest Peter Schiff: “Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare — all that stuff needs to be cut. And not for the future beneficiaries, but for the people who are getting benefits right now.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 1/29/24]
-
-
- Fox anchor Neil Cavuto expressed hope because some GOP candidates “opt to say … maybe we have to raise the retirement age, maybe we means test some of those benefits,” before lamenting that “invariably there's a pile-on here and then it goes away.” [Fox Business, Cavuto: Coast to Coast, 11/16/23]
-
-
- Conservative comedians Keith and Kevin Hodge, known as the Hodgetwins, posted on X: “Social security is a damn Ponzi scheme. The money we pay in gets stolen by the government and fraudulently spent.” [Twitter/X, 3/4/24]
-
Trump recently suggested he's open to cutting Social Security, and proposed cuts to funding and benefits during his presidency
-
- CNN: “Former President Donald Trump … suggested he was open to making cuts to Social Security and Medicare after opposing touching the entitlement programs and attacking his GOP presidential primary rivals over the issue.” CNN reported that on CNBC's Squawk Box, Trump said, “There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements,” after he was asked about handling Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. [CNN, 3/11/24]
- In 2020, Trump proposed permanently eliminating the payroll tax that funds Social Security. In August 2020, The Washington Post reported that “President Trump pledged on Saturday to pursue a permanent cut to the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare if he wins reelection in November.” This followed an executive order that allowed workers to “postpone their payroll tax payments into next year but doesn’t absolve their bills outright.” The Post noted that “Trump would be embarking on a fraught process that could have catastrophic fiscal effects on programs including Social Security.” [The Washington Post, 8/8/20]
- Despite his campaign rhetoric, Trump proposed cuts to Social Security in every budget proposal during his presidency. The Washington Post reported in 2023 that Trump planned to present himself during the 2024 campaign as a champion for Social Security and Medicare, unlike his Republican rivals. The Post noted, though: “His avowed stance, however, is at odds with Trump’s own record as president: Each of his White House budget proposals included cuts to Social Security and Medicare programs.” [The Washington Post, 2/9/23]
-
Conservative media have pushed for years to cut Social Security or further raise its retirement age
-
- Charlie Kirk called for cuts to Social Security: “I'm not a fan of retirement. I don't think retirement is biblical.” Kirk said, “I'm willing to strike a deal so that people in their twenties are going to get next to nothing for future Social Security if it means we can balance the budget.” [Salem Media Group, The Charlie Kirk Show, 9/19/23]
-
-
- Fox anchor John Roberts called for “cooperation” to cut Social Security and Medicare. Roberts said: “There’s all this talk about how to get spending under control, and I think people on both sides rationally know there is no way to get spending under control unless you start to implement reforms to things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, but neither side wants to come forward unilaterally and say, ‘Here’s our plan to do it,’” Roberts said. “There needs to be cooperation, they need to reach out across the aisle and until they do that, that debt ceiling is just going to keep bumping up and bumping up and bumping up — look at where it is now, more than $31 trillion, it's stunning.” [Fox News, America Reports, 4/19/23]
-
-
- Fox's Mark Levin on Social Security: “What DeSantis voted for, and I would have voted for it too, was to raise the retirement age to 70.” [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 4/3/23]
-
-
- Shapiro: “There's no question the United States needs to raise its retirement age.” Shapiro continued: “All of these Social Security programs are bankrupt. They're all pyramid schemes reliant on generations yet to be born and who will not be born given the reproductive rates in the West.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 3/29/23]
-
-
- Levin admitted that “Republicans have had a plan for 20 years” to increase the eligibility age for Social Security. Levin said: “Do Republicans have a plan? Actually, Republicans have had a plan for 20 years, and that plan is basically those people who are on Social Security are grandfathered in. People who are 55 to 65 are grandfathered in when they turn 65. But everybody else, unfortunately, they're gonna have to see the age increase — that is, to 70. Used to be they said 67, but now that has to be around 70.” [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 3/16/23]
-
-
- Newsmax guest Brianna Lyman: “I think it's a great idea to sunset Social Security, Medicare, all that.” Lyman said: “I mean, listen, I think it's a great idea to sunset Social Security, Medicare, all that. And the reason I say that is because, like Rick Scott said, if that program is important enough, Congress will renew it. If the program is important enough to voters, they will vote in an elected official who will continue that program.” [Newsmax, American Agenda, 2/14/23]
-
-
- Hannity also applauded a GOP plan to “sunset” Social Security. When Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed a plan to “sunset” all federal legislation after 5 years unless Congress reauthorized it, Hannity said to Scott: “I want to applaud you. I'd like to see the House and the Senate come together on these issues, make these promises to the American people, get elected and then fulfill those promises.” [Media Matters, 2/9/23]
-
-
- Moore called for Trump to privatize the “black hole” of Social Security. Moore explained, “Well, this is an idea that I don't know if the Trump administration is going to embrace, but it's something, I think, for middle-class people would be one of the best ways for every American to own stock in America. So, instead — the idea would be, you know, rather than having to send your 10% of your paycheck into the black hole of Social Security, you would be able to put that into a personal account, like an index fund. And that means, Steve, everybody in America would benefit when the stock market goes up.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/25/19]
-
-
- In 2012, former 700 Club host Pat Robertson said raising the retirement age to 72 won't “hurt anybody because people really like to work.” [Christian Broadcasting Network, The 700 Club, 8/27/12]
-
-
- In 2011, former Fox host Tucker Carlson called Social Security “a Ponzi scheme.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 8/31/11]
-
-
- In 2010, Fox anchor Martha MacCallum called for raising the retirement age, and said then-President Barack Obama should consider privatizing Social Security. [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 11/15/10]
-
-
- Art Laffer in 2010: Raise retirement age to 70 because “I love working.” [Fox News, Your World, 6/29/10]
-
-
- Conservative pundit George Will in November 2010: Raising retirement age to 69 “should be done next Thursday.” [ABC, This Week, 11/14/10]
-
-
- Fox host Neil Cavuto’s “2010 Campaign Platform” included these directives: “Start by raising retirement age for Social Security,” and “Let younger workers put a portion of retirement money in the markets.” [Media Matters, 9/28/10]
- Then-Fox Business host Eric Bolling: Social Security is “kind of like a Ponzi scheme ... should rename it the Madoff Social Security system.” [Fox News, The Live Desk, 8/14/09]
-
-
- Carlson was one of the biggest media defenders of former President George W. Bush's scheme to privatize Social Security. In 2005, Carlson also proposed raising the retirement age and claimed it was time to “reexamine” the program “as a way to cut federal spending a bit.” [Media Matters, 2/16/23]