Trump faces backlash in New Hampshire over threats to Social Security and Medicare

The New Hampshire Biden-Harris campaign assembled a group of concerned citizens and local leaders on Thursday to voice their opposition to Donald Trump’s embrace of possible cuts to Social Security and Medicare, an idea he floated earlier this week.

Trump said in a Monday interview with CNBC there’s “a lot” that can be done on programs like Social Security and Medicaid “in terms of cutting.”

Nashua State Senator Cindy Rosenwald said cutting the programs would be devastating to over 300,000 Granite Staters who rely on them.

“A quarter of our population is on Social Security and even more on Medicare. These cuts would be devastating to the financial security and  health security and the wellbeing and safety of more than one in four Granite Staters,” Sen. Rosenwald said.

During his presidency, Trump proposed cuts to both Social Security and Medicare annually and has been vocal about his desire to privatize Social Security, which he has criticized as a “Ponzi scheme.” In contrast, President Biden’s latest budget proposal, released on Monday, strongly opposes any reductions to Medicare and Social Security benefits, aiming to protect and enhance these programs for future generations.

Speakers at the event emphasized the importance of maintaining programs many had been contributing to for decades.

“We’ve paid into these programs. I paid all my working life, and it’s finally time to use them,” said Lynn Thomas, a resident of Meredith who is a Medicare recipient.

RELATED: Biden vows to protect Medicare and Social Security in Goffstown speech

“I don’t think Donald Trump and many Republicans have any sense of how important these programs are for us, for single older people, for families and so on. He sees the world from the perspective of a billionaire and even if he had some inkling of the impact on us, regular people, I don’t think he cares,” Thomas said.

Trump’s willingness to make cuts to the essential programs highlights the growing concern among Americans about the future of their earned benefits and sets the stage for a critical debate on social welfare policies in the upcoming presidential election.

Nashua State Representative Laura Telerski said Trump’s message would not be a winning one with her constituents.

“Our senior citizens and hardworking Granite Staters on the brink of retirement have worked their entire lives paying into Social Security, and they shouldn’t be worried about what their future looks like,” Rep. Telerski said.

“But if Trump returns to the White House, anything is possible, including the end of Social Security.”