Biden reemerges on the attack, but doesn’t mention Trump

CHICAGO — Former President Joe Biden tores the Trump administration’s efforts to cut social security spending in his first major public speech since leaving the White House, but never mentioned the current president.

“In less than 100 days, this administration has caused so much damage and destruction, and it’s breathtaking,” Biden told about 200 people gathered at a meeting of disability advocates, counselors and representatives on Tuesday. “They had a handcatch at the Social Security Agency.”

Biden attacked the Trump administration to cut jobs by thousands of people in federal agencies, claiming it had services and endangered benefits for around 73 million seniors who rely on popular financial aid programs.

“They shoot first and then they aim later,” Biden said. “As a result, there are a lot of unnecessary pain and sleepless nights.”

Bidenism sometimes sparkled through roughly 30 minutes of speech. The former president often talks about growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and seeing his parents struggle to achieve their goals, he reminded him of his decades at Capitol Hill.

Biden’s comments were timed on Tuesday’s Social Security Day to protest what advocates described as a serious threat to the program under the Trump administration. His gradual reappearance comes as an other–more critical voice that begins to shape the story surrounding his terminology. Biden’s aides are preparing for the release of several books that documented his physical and mental state before abandoning last year’s reelection campaign, with allies already reporting on his decline.

Speaking engagement around Chicago’s River North area took place just a block from a well-known campaign fundraiser held for Biden last year before dropping out of the 2024 presidential election.

The central debate in Biden’s speech on Tuesday was that the Trump administration presents an unacceptable threat to social security.

“Social security is more than a government programme. It’s a sacred promise,” he said.

The White House’s reaction to Biden’s speech? “It’s embarrassing,” the spokesman said. x Social Security Feeddenounced Biden of “liing to Americans.”

Two former administration officials who admitted anonymity to discuss the private plan said Biden “want to stay engaged,” but his speech in Chicago is not necessarily a sign of a more aggressive public schedule. Instead, Biden is expected to pick his spot on specific issues such as Social Security. In recent weeks, he spoke to the brotherhood of international electrical workers, accepted honorary members, and stopped by students at Model United Nations Conference.

“It would have been realistic for people to choose Social Security, as announcing a big democracy and the speech of the rule of law was probably on the nose… and that was important to him and very reasonable.” “If Joe Biden hadn’t given this speech, then no one would talk about Social Security tomorrow, so that’s all that is proof that he can still order certain attention and ability to set the agenda.”

He is working on another book, these officials said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “The unprecedented attack on Social Security is a deck-on deck moment when we all need to show up and get up and speak up.

Martin O’Malley, a former Democrat who introduced Biden at the event, said he thought the former president would be waiting for “appropriate” (almost) 100 days to give his first big speech. Also attending, former Democrat Sen. Debbie Stavenow said it was “absolutely” important for Biden to talk about what’s going on in Washington.

Earlier that day, Democrat National Committee vice-chairman David Hogg said that Biden was a natural step taken by a former president who wanted to share their expertise.

“He’s not going to stop being involved. He’s a mainstay, he wants to get things done, he wants to help with the party,” Hogg said.

But Biden took office with a rating, with many Democrats in November slamming his party’s losses for his long-term presidential election. In response to some of the criticisms about Biden in 2024, Hogg said:

Biden is not just a former world leader these days. Biden’s predecessor, President Barack Obama, took him to social media Monday night to criticize Harvard’s Trump administration’s fundraising freeze. And on the same day, Biden spoke in Chicago, and Justin Trudeau, who had laying low since resigning as Canadian prime minister last month, returned to public in an exit interview airing on Buffalo’s PBS Station.

Canada is in the middle of a snap election, with voters almost shifting from a liberal leader from a three-term period that was extremely unpopular at his exit. And like Biden, the liberals in Canada may not be keen to have him come back in the spotlight.

Conversation with broadcaster Valerie Pringle “Canadian Files” It was recorded after Trudeau’s final cabinet meeting. While it appears that there is little to hijack the campaign in the interview, timing is not ideal for the liberal party that Canadians rely on to forget why Trudeau wanted to go in the first place.

“How are you feeling?” Pringle asked Trudeau from the top of the 30-minute broadcast.

“Really good,” he replied. “I feel calm about everything I’ve done. I think I’ve had a good run.”

Sue Alan and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.