• Former President Joe Biden delivered his first major speech since leaving office, focusing on Social Security.
• Biden accused Trump of "taking a hatchet" to the Social Security Administration, which impacts millions of Americans.
• His remarks come amid significant staff reductions and service disruptions at the SSA due to the Trump administration's policies.
• The former president emphasized the importance of Social Security as a "sacred promise" for retirees.
• Biden's speech provoked varied reactions, with some Democrats concerned about his return to the political stage.

In his first major public appearance since leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden condemned the Trump administration's efforts that threaten the Social Security Administration (SSA). Speaking at a conference for disability advocates in Chicago, Biden asserted that Trump’s policies have caused “so much damage and so much destruction” in less than 100 days, stating, “They’ve taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration,” pushing 7,000 employees out the door, according to The New York Times.

During his address, Biden highlighted the significance of Social Security, which supports over 73 million elderly and disabled Americans, and claimed that recent reforms led by Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have severely hampered its functionality. “The website is crashing,” Biden noted, emphasizing how “people can’t sign on to their accounts,” according to BBC.

With a speech length of around thirty minutes, Biden, 82, displayed signs of aging as he sometimes stumbled over words and anecdotes. Despite this, his choice of topic sought to rally Democrats amid fears that Trump's strategies could lead to sweeping cuts to Social Security, a program he described as a "sacred promise" essential for many. According to Channel News Asia, Biden criticized the notion espoused by Trump and Musk that the program is rife with fraud, calling it “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

Biden emphasized the critical role Social Security plays in the lives of many Americans, stating, “If it were cut or taken away, it would be devastating... for millions of people,” as reported by Dawn. He added that Trump’s administration is “shooting first and aiming later” in their approach to the SSA.

The response to Biden’s speech was mixed, with some Democrats cautioning against him re-entering the political fray. Strategist Karen Finney expressed concerns that Biden might divert attention from Trump’s other controversies, highlighting a delicate political balance for the Democratic party, according to Al Jazeera.

Despite his low approval ratings upon leaving office, Biden's re-emergence presented an opportunity to spotlight the importance of Social Security during a time of potential upheaval for its administration. He echoed the views of former Social Security Administrator Martin O'Malley, who called social security “a sacred promise between generations,” reinforcing the need for Democrats to emphasize this issue in forthcoming political dialogues, according to Newsweek.