Former US President Joe Biden made his first public appearance since leaving office, delivering a speech that criticized the Trump administration’s approach to welfare and social programs
Speaking at a disability rights event in Chicago on Tuesday, Biden accused the administration of damaging the country’s social safety net in less than 100 days. While not mentioning Donald Trump by name, Biden said the administration had caused “so much damage and so much destruction,” calling it “breathtaking.”
Biden described social security as a “sacred promise” and emphasized its role in the lives of millions of Americans. He did not comment on the 2024 election or his departure from office during the event.
The Social Security Agency currently supports approximately 67 million Americans, including retirees and individuals with disabilities. It handles around $1.6 trillion in benefits annually.
The Trump administration has proposed staffing cuts at the agency. The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, aims to eliminate about 7,000 positions—roughly 10% of the agency’s workforce. Musk has previously criticized the social security system, calling it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
President Trump has stated that his focus is on targeting fraudulent claims and stopping payments to undocumented immigrants, not on cutting benefits overall. On Tuesday, he signed an executive order to block Social Security payments to individuals deemed ineligible, including undocumented immigrants.
“A Ponzi scheme? What the h— are they talking about? People earn these benefits.”
In his first major speech since leaving office, former President Joe Biden calls out the Trump administration’s efforts to cut Social Security. pic.twitter.com/QBzeRNLFcb
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 15, 2025
Ahead of Biden’s speech, Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s position. She said the president was “Absolutely certain” about protecting benefits for “law-abiding tax-paying American citizens and seniors,” adding, “He will always protect that program.”
Following the event, the Social Security Agency—now led by a Trump-appointed official—posted on X, accusing Biden of “lying” during his remarks. The agency did not elaborate further.
Since leaving office, Biden has kept a low profile. In February, he re-signed with Creative Artists Agency, the Los Angeles talent firm that previously represented him between 2017 and 2020.
Also on Tuesday, former President Barack Obama issued a rare public criticism of the Trump administration. In a post on X, he condemned the decision to freeze more than $2 billion in federal funding for Harvard University. Obama called the move “unlawful and ham-handed.”
Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and… https://t.co/gAu9UUqgjF
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 15, 2025
The Trump administration froze the funds after Harvard declined to alter its hiring, admissions, and teaching practices, which the administration claims are linked to rising antisemitism on campus.
Obama’s public rebuke marked a departure from his usual post-presidency approach. Since leaving office in 2017, he has rarely used social media to criticize government actions.
