Donald Trump arrives for a rally in Salem, Virginia, November 2, 2024 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

EA on Pat Kenny Show: The US Has An Authoritarian Regime

EA-The Focus VideoCast: Trump’s Chainsaw Presidency

I joined Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday, following Joe Biden’s speech highlighting Donald Trump’s threat to Social Security, for a wider look at the Trump assault on social programs.

I consider the curbs on Social Security, both through an effective cut of 13% by raising the retirement age and through the decimation of the agency with firings, forced resignations, and theft of information by Trump’s unelected co-President Elon Musk.

I analyze the possible cut of $880 billion in Medicare and Medicaid and of $230 in food assistance programs.

And I note that the gutting of the Government’s ability to provide basic welfare will not end there.

The issue is beyond electoral politics. Donald Trump won in large part because of Americans’ concerns over their economic futures. The reality here is these effective cuts will mean many Americans are worse off.

This isn’t just a Donald Trump question. This is a question of the advisors around Trump, of Elon Musk who has no Government positions and no authority to be ripping up Social Security, and of those Republicans in the House and Senate who are enabling this.