President Trump promised “no taxes” on Social Security in his stump speech for his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill contains the exact opposite, and Trump’s approach to the Social Security Administration at large is only further damaging the floundering program.
“We will make the Trump tax cuts permanent, and expand the child tax credit, and deliver no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on social security for our great seniors,” Trump said with a collection of working-class American citizens standing behind him.
It would do the President well to be transparent about taxes on Social Security and the impact they’ll have on the elderly, especially in relation to the most significant piece of legislation of his second term.
Trump: “We will deliver no taxes on social security for our great seniors.” (This is not actually in the reconciliation bill, so … ) pic.twitter.com/Yrs3q1N2eu
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2025
“They couldn’t remove tax on Social Security in reconciliation, so they added a short-term standard deduction boost for seniors,” David Dayen of The American Prospect wrote on X. “People on Social Security will not get the deduction (which starts at age 65) and people not on SS will get it.”
Tens of millions of people, including many of Trump’s supporters, rely on for monthly retirement, survivor, and disability checks from the Social Security Administration. Not only is the SSA predicted to run out of money a year earlier than previously thought, Trump’s policies like mass deportation are crippling the workforce that is currently paying into the program.
Trump and Elon Musk have also spread unsubstantiated claims about rampant “waste, fraud and abuse” within the SSA, and they’re still aiming to levy massive cuts to the program while raising the retirement age and reducing benefits for high earners.
Only time will tell how much Trump’s “for the people” schtick will resonate with his supporters, especially when the current iteration of Trump’s bill further endangers the SSA while giving them nothing but crumbs.
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