Former U.S. President Joe Biden has publicly criticized President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, accusing them of damaging Social Security and increasing public distress.
His comments were made during his first major post-presidency speech at the Advocates, Counsellors, and Representatives for the Disabled conference in Chicago on Tuesday evening, April 15.
Speaking to a packed audience, the 82-year-old Biden expressed deep concern about recent political and financial pressures threatening Social Security, a system millions of Americans rely on.
He strongly disagreed with the direction being taken by certain political and business leaders, without mentioning them by name.
“Who in the hell do they think they are?” Biden asked, pointing to what he described as deliberate efforts to destabilize the system.
“Why are these guys taking aim at Social Security now? They’re following that old line from tech startups – the quote is ‘move fast, break things.’ They’re shooting first and aiming later.”
However, without calling out Trump or Musk directly, Biden made it clear that their influence has not been helpful.
He quoted former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who currently serves as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
“My friend Gov. O’Malley knows what they’re really up to, he says, and I love this quote – they want to wreck it so they can rob it,” Biden noted.
“Why do they want to rob it? To deliver huge tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations and keep it going.”
O’Malley, in his opening remarks at the event, didn’t hold back either.
He named Trump and Musk, blaming them for weakening the Social Security Administration through poor leadership.
“They have gutted the Social Security Administration with a chainsaw,” O’Malley said. “Creating the largest exodus of staff the agency has ever suffered.”
Furthermore, O’Malley also tackled a common misconception about immigrants.
He said the idea that undocumented immigrants are draining Social Security is completely false.
“It’s already illegal for undocumented immigrants to receive Social Security benefits,” he stressed.
Biden’s speech reflected more than just political rivalry.
His words suggested a strong desire to defend everyday Americans from what he believes is avoidable hardship.
He pointed out that respect for all citizens, especially the vulnerable, should guide national policy.
Therefore, the former president’s remarks served as a reminder that Social Security must be protected, not politicized.
While the economy and government policies keep evolving, Biden’s message stood firm that the system is too important to be tampered with.
