Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that U.S. leaders “need to address Social Security” and would not hesitate to reform entitlements if he were the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. I swore.
“We need to look at things like means testing for the very wealthy.” [who] You don’t have to take Social Security,” Christie said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“And secondly, for people in their 30s and 40s, we need to consider raising the retirement age,” he said.
Mr. Christie, one of the most recent participants in the primary race, took digs at his own campaign platform in between attacks on the Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump. He accused President Trump of being a “paper tiger” who has not yet been challenged in other areas, accused him of inflating the U.S. budget deficit, and criticized Trump’s recent comments regarding the criminal documents scandal. criticized the statement.
“You’re going to see some of the crazy things he said last night,” Christie said on CNBC, referring to President Trump’s latest interview on Fox News, and did not immediately respond to subpoenas for documents. One of the reasons for this was that “he had a very strong attitude.” busy. “
“How many rounds of golf has he played in the two and a half years since he retired?” Christie said.
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, including willful possession of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice. His federal criminal case is tentatively scheduled to go to trial on August 14, but is likely to be postponed.
Christie focused on the economy, saying “excessive government spending” is the root cause of recent inflation problems. “We must rein in spending and reform entitlement programs,” he said.
Mr. Christie also ruled out raising taxes as a way to deal with the debt. “We need to stimulate the economy to get more growth, and secondly, we need to cut spending,” Christie said.
“We need to address Social Security,” Christie said, noting that the program is scheduled to no longer be able to pay out full benefits starting in 2034.
Politicians are often reluctant to discuss proposals to restructure Social Security and Medicare, two hugely popular government programs that tens of millions of older Americans depend on. . Across political lines, a majority of American adults consistently say they oppose cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits.
Trump has vowed not to cut the program, and his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has backed away from previous support for entitlement reform.
But Christie said “of course” he would talk about those issues if he were a candidate. “I’m talking about them right now,” he said.
Mr. Christie, 60, faces a steep uphill climb if he hopes to overtake Mr. Trump in the primary. National polls in the Republican field routinely show the former president with a wide double-digit lead over his chief rival, DeSantis. Mr. Christie has historically tended to earn scores in the low to mid-single digits, and some surveys have shown his popularity among Republican voters waning.
Asked about Trump’s lead in the polls, Christie said, “These are national numbers, and no one is campaigning against him yet.”