Is Trump changing his mind again? Looks like it.
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign waffled again on the details of its economic policy, with a top adviser suggesting a Trump administration would be open to reductions in Medicare and Social Security spending if the campaign’s tax cuts don’t achieve extraordinary budget surpluses.
To date, Mr. Trump has stood by his promise to leave untouched the entitlement benefits that older Americans receive, while proposing an unprecedentedly large tax cut. Outside analysts have concluded that combination would worsen the country’s long-term fiscal position.
The campaign in recent days has muddled but not reversed those positions, with the candidate or his top aides suggesting they were open to paring back his proposed tax cuts or, on Wednesday, potentially trimming entitlement benefits.
“After the administration has been in place, then we will start to take a look at all of the programs, including entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare,” said chief Trump policy adviser Sam Clovis, during an event in Washington. “We’ll start taking a hard look at those to start seeing what we can do in a bipartisan way.” ...
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to reduce major entitlement benefits and said during his
campaign launch speech last year that he wanted to “save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.”
“It’s my absolute intention to leave Social Security the way it is,” Mr. Trump said
during a March debate. “Not increase the age and to leave it as is.”
He has principles!
