Ron DeSantis flip flops on Medicare, Social Security cuts

DeSantis 2
As a Congressman, DeSantis was eager to cut entitlement programs for senior citizens.

Ron DeSantis is walking back previous calls to slash Social Security and Medicare, in a seeming evolution targeted for 2024.

When he was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, he called for “market forces” and privatization to replace the current entitlements.

But as a potential presidential candidate, DeSantis is renouncing that policy guidance, justifying it by saying the President has also changed positions on the matter, suggesting he believes it’s OK because Joe Biden did the same thing.

“Well, you know, Biden when he was in the Senate, I mean, he took a lot of positions that would have reduced Social Security benefits for current recipients. He wanted to freeze Social Security payments, which is, you know, if you have inflation, would cause seniors to lose ground,” DeSantis said, echoing U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s attempt to walk back his own invitation to “sunset” the programs.

DeSantis then suggested the preponderance of old people in Florida was reason for a Social Security switcheroo.

“Look, I have more seniors here than just about anyone as a percentage. You know, we’re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans. I think that that’s pretty clear.”

DeSantis then suggested “an unprecedented binge in discretionary spending” under Biden and predecessor Donald Trump actually was the problem with America’s fiscal situation.

“People used to say they would blame Social Security or Medicare for budget woes, but the reality is they have printed trillions and trillions of dollars and that has really fueled the inflation. And not only that: the discretionary spending is funding agencies that are doing things that are hostile to the rights of the American people and have really been weaponized against factions of society that the elite ruling class doesn’t like,” DeSantis said, adding more justification for his policy flip flop.

DeSantis made the comments Thursday on the Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom. They come after former President Donald Trump accused DeSantis repeatedly of seeking to cut the entitlements for senior citizens.

“Great Poll numbers are springing forth for your favorite President, me, against Ron DeSanctus (& Biden). I guess people are finding out that he wanted to CUT SOCIAL SECURITY & RAISE THE MINIMUM AGE TO AT LEAST 70, at least 4 times. LIKEWISE WITH MEDICARE, WANTED BIG CUTS,” he posted this week on his Truth Social account.

“HE IS A WHEELCHAIR OVER THE CLIFF KIND OF GUY, JUST LIKE HIS HERO, failed politician Paul Ryan, the FoxNews ratings destroyer who led Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign down the tubes. GLOBALISTS ALL! WE WANT AMERICA FIRST!!!” Trump added.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


13 comments

  • Tjb

    March 2, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    DeSantis is flip flopping because he know he would lose too many votes on the national stage if he supported cuts. I would bet that if elected President, he will flip flop on this issue again by supporting cuts.

  • Linwood Wright

    March 2, 2023 at 2:07 pm

    Everything that Meatball does is based purely on politics.
    He has no spine, and no ideas of his own.

  • Arm The Homeless

    March 2, 2023 at 2:53 pm

    On top of spagetti all covered with cheese
    I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed
    It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor
    And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door
    It rolled in the garden and under a bush
    And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush.

  • PeterH

    March 2, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    It’s not flip flopping….. it’s lying to win the votes of senior citizens.

    • Victoria

      March 2, 2023 at 7:24 pm

      “Read my lips…No new taxes!” worked for a predecessor until it didn’t

  • woke and broke cuz of Rona

    March 3, 2023 at 7:20 am

    Rona DeSatan will say and do anything that he pleases because he’s our Lord and Master. Anyone who believes him is just being foolish. I am fascinated with his Free Market mantra, It’s sounding sooo capitalist! Funny thing about that mantra though is his eagerness to spend all that free Federal money to buy off voters in our State. And let’s not forget his earnest support for Citizens Property Insurance our fantastic State run “too big to fail” insurer of “last resort” that writes policies that smart, prudent private insurance companies refuse to write or even underwrite because they are too darn risky! Maybe Rona can get the GOP to switch mascots to the Hippo. It would be apt. Hippo Krauts? Florida – where freedom comes to die!

  • Lex

    March 3, 2023 at 9:02 am

    Social Security benefits are a real problem. People are living longer. People are having less children. Printing money is going to destroy the country and is not the answer.

    I would love to see a bipartisan committee honestly evaluate the issues, but when one party is content to lie to people that printing endless money won’t have any consequences, it is impossible to have an honest discussion.

    • Charle VanHorm

      March 4, 2023 at 12:05 pm

      Smartest post on here. People make comments without a clue as to the knowledege of the topic. Better do something or it won’t be around.

    • Jim F

      March 14, 2023 at 7:54 am

      You are correct but not deep enough on thought. The major problem is the money that has been given from SS pool to people that don’t have any rights to it…. Illegals! You don’t pay in you shouldn’t have any rights to it. Politicians have used the SS fund as a slush fund for everything. STOP USING IT FOR ANYTHING BUT SS and SSI. LET it build interest at 1% and maybe just maybe with higher population it will sustain for years to come.

  • wokey poo

    March 3, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    Worse yet, the shameless GOP who won’t raise the debt ceiling to pay bills already incurred by America. This irresponsible stance would only serve to destroy our reputation and might crash our economy. Alien Rick, Rona and the other flip flopping losers would LOVE to gut Social Security but they know that is politically incorrect. A deal is a deal, whether it’s honoring Social Security or paying off the National debt.

  • Elliott Offen

    March 3, 2023 at 6:46 pm

    DeSantis and Trump are both screwed in national elections. They went too far right and just continue to double down. People will remember you fking azzholes!!

  • Finkel the First

    March 3, 2023 at 10:05 pm

    First of all, remove the annual earnings cap completely. The results will be that by 2034, Social Security will be solvent. Everyone knows the low cap is a pure Gimme but Lord forbid, we can’t tax the rich. The piggies will squeal “Unfair!”. No, let them off with a tax dodge. . That’s why it’s been stiff-armed off the floor time and again.

    One more thing. Restore the IRS to hire the teams of auditors it takes to bring down the biggest tax scofflaws. Our government collections agency should have mandatory audits for the top 5% of earners (from all sources). The technology is very close to fruition. (FedNow)

    Governor DeSamwich is as phony as an IHOP meatball. Zero credibility and PT Barnum campaign. He’ll never be President so who cares about his opinion, anyways?

  • gloriajame

    March 5, 2023 at 11:06 am

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Comments are closed.


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