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Eugene

(61,592 posts)
Wed May 11, 2016, 10:13 PM May 2016

Trump open to Social Security changes if elected: adviser

Source: Reuters

Politics | Wed May 11, 2016 7:04pm EDT

Trump open to Social Security changes if elected: adviser

WASHINGTON | BY EMILY STEPHENSON

Republican Donald Trump would consider changes to Social Security and Medicare if he is elected U.S. president, a top adviser to the New York businessman said on Wednesday, signaling a shift from Trump's earlier stance that he would not touch so-called entitlement programs.

Policy adviser Sam Clovis said at a Washington conference that Trump would be open to a bipartisan look at entitlement spending once he implemented his other policies, such as his tax plan.

"I think after the administration's been in place, then we will start to take a look at all of the programs, including entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare," Clovis said at an event hosted by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.

The foundation is known for its attacks on deficit spending, and it supports revamping Social Security and Medicare.

"We'll take a hard look at those to start seeing what we can do in a bipartisan way," Clovis said, adding Trump was not proposing any entitlement changes now.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-entitlements-idUSKCN0Y22RF
18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Trump open to Social Security changes if elected: adviser (Original Post) Eugene May 2016 OP
Wow, sounds like Trump is getting to Hillary's position also. Thinkingabout May 2016 #1
It sounds like that does it? Great minds and all that? Autumn May 2016 #2
Sounds like seniors supporting Trump, an elderly, bigoted generation need to think again... Jeffersons Ghost May 2016 #5
say or do whatever it takes spanone May 2016 #3
"Changes to Social Security" is dog whistle lordsummerisle May 2016 #4
These Republican assholes in Congress already tried passing a law to reduce SSDI Jeffersons Ghost May 2016 #6
Too bad all those old white people supporting trump watch Fox News all day and don't realize Person 2713 May 2016 #7
Trump babbles about it, while Clinton has BlackRock lined up already MisterP May 2016 #8
Wall Street awaits... SammyWinstonJack May 2016 #15
Yup. Somehow or other, they are going to outsource it - in whole or part - closeupready May 2016 #18
After he lowers taxes on the wealthy and abolishes the Federal Minimum Wage Social Security and Agnosticsherbet May 2016 #9
He does have a way of being conservative without sounding conservative. How many people can he fool pampango May 2016 #14
And he is not self funding his campaign, either. Forgot that one. Agnosticsherbet May 2016 #16
I thought Social Security was an earned benefit and not an entitlement LastLiberal in PalmSprings May 2016 #10
Sigh. dawg May 2016 #11
First we "murder" the language LiberalElite May 2016 #12
From cradle to grave, Trump would be a disaster for this country. Vinca May 2016 #13
No different than Hillary. Meh. closeupready May 2016 #17

Jeffersons Ghost

(15,235 posts)
5. Sounds like seniors supporting Trump, an elderly, bigoted generation need to think again...
Wed May 11, 2016, 10:50 PM
May 2016

Last edited Wed May 11, 2016, 11:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Trump wants to cut off their money and dump them from their wheelchairs out into the streets as beggars. Hillary has a chance after all. Then, the FBI or IRS can investigate Trump for income tax evasion or his mafia contacts.

lordsummerisle

(4,649 posts)
4. "Changes to Social Security" is dog whistle
Wed May 11, 2016, 10:45 PM
May 2016

for privatize it via Wall Street. Should Trump get elected and Congress stay Republican, this will begin the death spiral for SS as we know it, which will morph into a kind of 401K program. It's one of the reasons I decided to take it early...

Jeffersons Ghost

(15,235 posts)
6. These Republican assholes in Congress already tried passing a law to reduce SSDI
Wed May 11, 2016, 10:54 PM
May 2016

They will reallocate the funds to defense or a foreign aid bill to Mexico for the "Wall." Didn't "W" and Pink Floyd already do those events?

Person 2713

(3,263 posts)
7. Too bad all those old white people supporting trump watch Fox News all day and don't realize
Wed May 11, 2016, 10:56 PM
May 2016

how he is not in their best interest and is not going to make America greater
He will sell it off or / and run down parts of the government not to his liking

 

closeupready

(29,503 posts)
18. Yup. Somehow or other, they are going to outsource it - in whole or part -
Thu May 12, 2016, 10:14 AM
May 2016

so as to open up the trust fund to death-by-fees.

Agnosticsherbet

(11,619 posts)
9. After he lowers taxes on the wealthy and abolishes the Federal Minimum Wage Social Security and
Wed May 11, 2016, 11:37 PM
May 2016

Medicaid comes into his sites.

He is conforming to Conservative Policy. Speaker Ryan will love that.

pampango

(24,692 posts)
14. He does have a way of being conservative without sounding conservative. How many people can he fool
Thu May 12, 2016, 07:43 AM
May 2016

that he is "to the left" of ...... " on anything substantial?

He says conservative stuff but, as long as he throws in a blast at the "Washington establishment" or about "self-funding" his campaign, he comes off to too many as vaguely 'populist'.

Agnosticsherbet

(11,619 posts)
16. And he is not self funding his campaign, either. Forgot that one.
Thu May 12, 2016, 10:09 AM
May 2016
Donald Trump Won’t Self-Fund General-Election Campaign

Trump knows his audience and says what they want him to say. He changes his message almost as often as he changes his underwear, I assume.
10. I thought Social Security was an earned benefit and not an entitlement
Thu May 12, 2016, 03:59 AM
May 2016

The change in terminology is significant, and occurred as the government started borrowing money from the Social Security Trust Fund under GWB. Paul Krugman reported in the NY Times:

Shortly after Sept. 11, George W. Bush interrupted his inveighing against evildoers to crack a joke. Mr. Bush had repeatedly promised to run an overall budget surplus at least as large as the Social Security surplus, except in the event of recession, war or national emergency. ''Lucky me,'' he remarked to Mitch Daniels, his budget director. ''I hit the trifecta.''

He told this joke many times until someone let him know it was in bad taste.

If you don't want to pay back someone's savings (an earned benefit) you convince them that it's largesse (a government entitlement program, like welfare). It changes the terms of the argument.

Republicans made fun of Al Gore's "lock box" analogy on the Social Security Trust Fund; who's laughing now?

dawg

(10,607 posts)
11. Sigh.
Thu May 12, 2016, 07:33 AM
May 2016

entitlement = earned benefit

You are "entitled" to the benefit because you paid into it.

Entitlement programs are the opposite of welfare programs.

We murder the language in this country.

Vinca

(50,168 posts)
13. From cradle to grave, Trump would be a disaster for this country.
Thu May 12, 2016, 07:40 AM
May 2016

Even if your candidate does not win the Democratic nomination, please, please, please put a clothes pin on your nose and vote against Trump. Hillary might ink trade agreements that send jobs away, but Trump is crazy enough to nuke ISIS or whatever else irks him on any particular day. The man is not competent and cannot be allowed to win the election.

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