Former President Donald Trump is taking his case against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to an usual audience: the overwhelmingly Democratic viewership of MSNBC.
The 30-second TV spot blasts Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, for proposing an increase in Social Security’s retirement age for future retirees. The segment, which the Trump campaign as a member of Congress, has likewise run for president as a defender of Social Security. He seized on it as a point of contrast with Haley in last Wednesday’s debate, arguing that many Americans have actually experienced a decline in life expectancy in recent years.
Haley is correct that, absent corrective action, Social Security is slated to lack the funds to pay out full benefits starting in 2034. The self-funded program’s finances are under strain due to the ongoing retirement of the massive Baby Boom generation.
But in the clip of Haley that Trump includes in his ad, she incorrectly states that the current retirement age is 65. In fact, the age at which retirees can claim full benefits has been in the process of going up for decades now. U.S. workers born in 1960 or later are only eligible for full benefits at age 67.
Retirement security advocates argue that the decline of traditional pensions has made Social Security a more important source of income for seniors. In lieu of benefit cuts for future retirees, they tend to emphasize the need for greater revenue, such as by lifting the cap on taxable earnings. Higher-earning workers currently only pay into Social Security on the first $168,800 they make per year.
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