Despite his promise in 2016 that he would never touch Medicare or Social Security, President Donald Trump said out loud on Thursday evening that he intends to cut both programs if he is re-elected in November.

Long considered the third rail of American politics, so much so that even former President Dwight Eisenhower noted that any politician who messes with them is “stupid,” Social Security and Medicare cuts had been included as part of Trump’s budget or he has merely said that he’s willing to entertain cutting them.

But during a town hall event on Fox News, Trump unequivocally admitted that he is targeting both programs for cuts should he win a second term.

“We — when these trade deals kick in, you know this economy is the best economy we’ve ever had,” Trump falsely claimed. “It’s nothing to what it’s going to be when the trade deals kick in.”

“But if you don’t cut something in entitlements, you’ll never really deal with that,” Martha MacCallum replied.

“We’ll be cutting, but we’re also going to have growth like you’ve never had before,” Trump concluded.

Here’s the video via Twitter:

It’s a stunning admission that should send seniors running to polling places across the country in November to vote against him. Because Trump certainly doesn’t have their best interests at heart if he is coming for their Social Security and Medicare, two programs that every American has contributed to and has earned by the time they reach their golden years.

Naturally, Americans were outraged and took to Twitter t sound the alarm.

It should also be pointed out that Social Security does not add a single penny to the deficit, and anyone who says otherwise is totally lying because the whole program is supported entirely by payroll taxes. As is part of Medicare.

According to Reuters:

By law, Social Security cannot contribute to the federal deficit, because it is required to pay benefits only from its trust funds. Those, in turn, are funded through a dedicated payroll tax of 12.4 percent of income, split evenly between employees and employers, levied on income (this year) up to $128,400.

Rising healthcare costs are the prime reason why Medicare is becoming a heavier burden on the deficit, but instituting universal healthcare and price controls would quickly and efficiently solve that problem.

The bottom line, however, is that these programs form the backbone of a social safety net that has been keeping seniors out of poverty for decades. Cutting them is not only cruel, even thinking about doing it should automatically disqualify that person from holding public office. Trump said it out loud, thus giving Democrats the gift of a campaign ad that can run over and over again across the country, and may have sealed his political doom.

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