The reelection campaign of President Joe Biden unveiled a fresh digital advertisement on Monday, targeting Donald Trump over his remarks to CNBC regarding potential cuts to government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Offering CNBC an exclusive preview, the Biden campaign showcased the new 20-second ad, spotlighting Trump’s statement made on “Squawk Box.” As the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Trump is anticipated to go head-to-head with Biden in the upcoming November election.
Scheduled for release across Biden’s X, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads social media platforms, the ad underscores an interview where CNBC host Joe Kernen queried Trump about his stance on handling entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Responding to Kernen’s inquiry regarding concerns about these programs contributing to the escalating U.S. national debt, Trump remarked, “There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements — in terms of cutting — and terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements.”
The Biden campaign seized on Trump’s remarks, concluding the ad with footage from Biden’s State of the Union address, where he emphatically declared, “If anyone here tries to cut Social Security, Medicare, or raise the retirement age, I will stop you.”
This ad formed part of a series of responses from Biden and his campaign, capitalizing on Trump’s interview to criticize the Republican for suggesting cuts to programs benefiting over 150 million Americans, many of whom are older voters.
Biden’s campaign initially shared footage of the Trump interview via Biden’s official X account, later issuing a resolute statement, “Not on my watch.”
During a campaign event in New Hampshire on Monday, Biden reiterated his commitment, stating, “Even this morning, Donald Trump said cuts to Social Security and Medicare are on the table again. The bottom line is he’s still at it. I’ll never allow that to happen. I won’t cut Social Security. I won’t cut Medicare.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates released a separate statement emphasizing the president’s pledge to safeguard these programs.
Meanwhile, Trump’s team spent Monday attempting to clarify his comments on “Squawk Box,” with the Trump campaign tweeting in response to the Biden campaign’s post featuring a video of the former president, “If you losers didn’t cut his answer short, you would know President Trump was talking about cutting waste.”
Thank you Joe, you got my vote.