Presidential Election

Donald Trump Might Want To Cut Social Security But Won't Admit It

A report from Bloomberg says Trump recently told House Speaker Paul Ryan he wants to cut Social Security "from a moral standpoint."

Donald Trump Might Want To Cut Social Security But Won't Admit It
Getty Images / Spencer Platt
SMS

If Donald Trump is elected president, Social Security might be no more. 

That's according to a report from Bloomberg, which says the presidential hopeful recently told House Speaker Paul Ryan he wants to cut Social Security "from a moral standpoint." 

But the report, citing an unnamed source, says Trump won't admit it publicly. 

"There's no way a Republican is going to beat a Democrat when the Republican is saying, 'We're going to cut your Social Security' and the Democrat is saying, 'We're going to keep it and give you more,'" the source said. 

"We're not going to cut your Social Security, and we're not cutting your Medicare. We're going to take jobs back from all these countries that are ripping us off, we're going to become a wealthy country again, and we're going to be able to save your Social Security. We're not taking it," Trump said at a December rally in Iowa

Trump and Ryan met behind closed doors earlier in May after it became more and more apparent that Trump, a controversial GOP figure, would be the party's nominee. 

"He's bringing new voters that we've never had for decades. That's a positive thing," Ryan told reporters

After the meeting, Ryan said the two still had differences but were working to unify the Republican Party, although Ryan has yet to endorse Trump. 

The debate over what to do with Social Security has been an ongoing one for both sides. Some estimates say the program will become insolvent in as little as seven years. Others say roughly 20 years. 

Likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has spoken out against proposed plans to privatize it. 

"The first thing we have to do is prevent the Republicans ever from privatizing it. ... We need to get more money into the Social Security trust fund to keep it solvent far into the future," Clinton said at a town hall debate.

A recent Gallup poll reports that 20 percent of Americans don't plan on using Social Security as a main source of income — the highest percentage since 2012. 

This video includes clips from Donald J. Trump for President Inc., Fox News and U.S. Social Security Administration, and images from Getty Images.