Haley Campaign Press Release - Latest Trump Lie on Social Security Shows He's Scared of Haley

DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump says Nikki Haley's surge is "fake news," but the only fake news are the lies Trump is peddling as Haley surges in New Hampshire and Trump drops.

A real leader tells the American people the truth, but Trump is lying to the American people about Social Security in his latest attack ad. Under Trump's do-nothing plan, Social Security will start running out of money in 2033 and will require a 23% cut in benefits to keep it afloat.

Nikki Haley has always spoken hard truths. She has a plan to save Social Security and Medicare without taking away anything from people nearing or in retirement.

"All of Donald Trump's attack ads prove that he is terrified of Nikki Haley's rise," said Haley communications director Nachama Soloveichik. "This is a two-person race between Nikki's conservative vision for a strong and proud America and Trump's continued obsession with the chaos and drama of the past."

DONALD TRUMP

Trump now says he wants to do nothing to save Social Security and Medicare even though he has previously acknowledged the programs' looming fiscal crisis.

• In a January 2023 video message to Republicans, Trump said, "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security."
• In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump wrote, "If you're a young person, you would definitely do better to believe in the X-Files than to count on getting your full Social Security benefit."
• Trump called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," and suggested solutions ranging from privatizing Social Security to raising "the age for receipt of full Social Security to 70."
• He defends raising the retirement age: "A firm limit at age 70 makes sense now for people under 40. We're living longer. We're working longer. New medicines are extending healthy human life."
• In 2020, Trump proposed cutting Medicare to deal with the growing debt crisis (that he helped create).

NIKKI HALEY

Haley is the only Republican candidate willing to address the financial crisis facing Social Security.

• CNN: Haley questions GOP frontrunners over Social Security and Medicare promises.

Haley has put forth a plan for reforming Social Security and Medicare that does NOT take away from people nearing or in retirement:

• Raise the retirement age for younger generations and index Social Security and Medicare benefits to life expectancy.
• Limit the growth of benefits for higher-income beneficiaries.
• Expand Medicare Advantage and increase competition.
• Match cost-of-living increases for Social Security to actual inflation rates by using chained CPI.

Praise for Haley's honest talk about Social Security and Medicare:

• Wall Street Journal editorial board: "Few politicians are willing to touch entitlements these days, but Nikki Haley dared to do so in the recent debate on Medicare. A new study shows her pitch to expand the Medicare Advantage program could lower costs and improve care."
• Tiana Lowe Doescher, Washington Examiner: "Nikki Haley is correct: Refusing to touch Social Security means a 23% benefit cut"
• S.E. Cupp, CNN: "She gave some tough talk to her own party on entitlement reform for example.... I thought all of that was pretty refreshing."
• Kelly Sadler, NewsMax: "So far Nikki Haley has been the only one who has addressed it on the campaign trail, saying that she would like 20-year-olds who are not bought into the program yet to be paying a little bit more or trying to alter the program so it is solvent for the 20-year-olds who are just entering the workplace."