Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is debuting an ad on Iowa television on Thursday contrasting his longstanding support for Social Security benefits with President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting openness to cutting them.
The 30-second spot features footage from a CNBC interview last week in which anchor Joe Kernen asked Trump whether “entitlements” ― a Washington term for universal social insurance programs ― would ever be “on his plate.”
“At some point they will be,” the ad shows Trump responding. (A White House spokesman subsequently denied that Trump was signaling openness to benefit cuts.)
The ad then argues that Sanders, who led opposition to possible Social Security cuts during the Obama administration, is the candidate in the Democratic primary best equipped to draw a clear contrast with Trump on an issue like Social Security.
“To defeat Trump, we need a nominee who has always fought to protect Social Security,” the narrator says, as newspaper clips and campaign literature attesting to Sanders’ stances appear onscreen.
The video ends with audio of Sanders himself inveighing against Social Security cuts as photos showing him speaking with seniors appear.
“We are not going to cut the program that millions of seniors and people with disabilities depend upon,” Sanders says in the spot. “If they vote to cut Social Security, they may well not be returning to Washington.”
The video spot goes live in New Hampshire on Saturday as well. The Sanders campaign did not provide details about the scale of the ad buy.
But until the Thursday ad, Sanders, the front-runner in an average of public polls in Iowa, had been less explicit than his rivals in making the case for how he would defeat Trump.
Casting himself as the most effective foil for unmasking Trump’s false populism, as he does in Thursday’s ad, is the type of electability argument Sanders has always been comfortable making. From the moment Trump was elected, Sanders sought to remind Trump of the Republican’s campaign-trail promises to preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid ― and to lambaste him for any signs that he might be deviating from those pledges. After the CNBC interview, Sanders declared that Trump “lied” about his commitment to protecting the programs.
The ad is also an implicit dig at former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders spent much of the past two weeks litigating a fight with Biden that Sanders had instigated over Biden’s past support for cutting Social Security. Among other things, Biden cast a vote in 1995 for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that would have threatened Social Security with automatic cuts; embraced the longstanding Washington consensus that entertaining Social Security cuts was a sign of fiscal seriousness; and led 2011 debt-reduction talks with congressional Republicans in which a cut to Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment was on the table.
Biden now says he would not even consider cutting the program. His plan for “older Americans” proposes increasing Social Security’s revenue enough to make the program solvent and expanding benefits for the most vulnerable groups. And Biden’s campaign is fond of noting Sanders’ praise for the former vice president in 2015, when he recognized Biden’s work on behalf of “the well being of working families and the middle class.”
Still, Sanders insists that Biden’s record provides useful insight into what his priorities would be as president. And with the new ad, he’s casting doubt on Biden’s electability ― a key part of the former vice president’s self-styled appeal ― without explicitly attacking him on-air and risking the kind of mudslinging to which Iowans are famously averse.
Also on HuffPost
NSA Surveillance
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), center, exit the Senate floor after Paul spoke about surveillance legislation on Capitol Hill on May 31, 2015.
National Anthem
From left: U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) place their hands over their hearts during the playing of the national anthem during a presentation ceremony for the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of the American Fighter Aces' service to the United States at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2015. Congress honored the service of the pilots with the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow.
Remembering Officers
President Barack Obama (from left), Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson attend the 34rd Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Capitol Hill on May 15, 2015.
Elton John
Singer Elton John (right), founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Pastor Rick Warren (left) of the Saddleback Church, arrive to testify about global health programs during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 6, 2015.
Loretta Lynch Testimony
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch (right) appears before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 7, 2015. The committee is hearing testimony on the Justice Department's budget request for fiscal year 2016.
Bernie Runs
U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) leaves after a news conference to speak on his agenda for America on Capitol Hill on April 30, 2015, after announcing he would run for U.S. president.
Japanese Prime Minister
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves before he addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2015.
Subway Smiles
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), second from left, smiles as he rides a Senate subway with a member of the press, left, after a vote April 23, 2015, to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general.
Hotdish Competition
Members of the Minnesota delegation taste each other's entries during the Minnesota Congressional Delegation Hotdish Competition on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Hotdish is a meal similar to a casserole.
Advocating For Loretta Lynch
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks while flanked by members of the Congressional Black Caucus during a news conference on Capitol Hill on April 22, 2015. Pelosi urged the Senate to immediately confirm Loretta Lynch's nomination as attorney general.
Justice March
Henry Singleton of New York City holds up a sign as U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) speaks during a rally to mark the finish of March2Justice on April 21, 2015, on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Dozens of marchers took part in an eight-day, 250-mile march from Staten Island, New York, to the nation's capital to demand congressional intervention to tackle "the national crisis of police violence."
Special Guest
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, second from left, speaks with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), second from right, as they pose for a photo alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), left, and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), right, prior to a meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2015.
Gyrocopter At The Capitol
Capitol Hill police officers and other officials lift a gyrocopter that landed on the U.S. Capitol's South Lawn, onto a trailer on April 15, 2015. A man identified as Doug Hughes, 61, illegally landed his aircraft on the Capitol lawn, triggering street closures around the building and prompting a police investigation. Hughes is described as a mailman, and a logo appearing to be that of the U.S. Postal Service was visible on the tail fin of the aircraft.
Secretary Of State Parade
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is trailed by staff and security while departing a meeting with members of the U.S Senate on the proposed deal with Iran at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2015. Kerry met with members of the House and Senate to discuss the ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations.
Harry Reid's Retirement
A large abstract painting of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is visible on a wall next to a stuffed eagle in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 27, 2015. Reid recently announced he will not seek re-election to another term.
McCain Applauds
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) applauds the final comments from fellow committee member, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as they conclude a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 26, 2015, to discuss the situation in Yemen. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is at right.
Ben Affleck
Actor, filmmaker and founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative Ben Affleck testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015. His wife, Jennifer Garner, looks on.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates testifies during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs hearing on "Diplomacy, Development, and National Security" on March 26, 2015.
Twin Tears
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) wipe away tears after listening to the remarks of Nicklaus' son Jack Nicklaus II during the elder Nicklaus' Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015. Nicklaus was lauded by family, friends and politicians for his many sports achievements and his philanthropy.
Affordable Care Act Anniversary
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lead the way down the House steps for the House Democratic Caucus media event to mark the fifth anniversary of President Barack Obama signing into law the Affordable Care Act on March 24, 2015.
Meerkat In The House
Conference aide SoRelle Wyckoff films a news conference in the Capitol after a meeting of the House Republican Conference using the live streaming app Meerkat on March 24, 2015.
Congressional Gold Medal
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, center, is presented the Congressional Gold Medal by, from left, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the Capitol Rotunda on March 24, 2015.
Secret Service Talks To Congress
Joseph Clancy, director of the U.S. Secret Service, testifies during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in on March 19, 2015.
Spring Cleaning
Code Pink peace activists discuss a letter to Iran's leaders written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) outside his office in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 19, 2015. The group organized a "spring cleaning of Congress."
Supreme Women
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) right, prepares to take a picture in her Capitol office with Supreme Court Justices, from left, Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, before a reception on March 18, 2015. The justices were in the Capitol to be honored at Pelosi's annual Women's History Month reception in Statuary Hall.
When Irish Ties Are Smilin'
From left: Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), President Barack Obama (D) and Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Enda Kenny depart the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill on St. Patrick's Day 2015.
Colonial Visit For Marijuana
Dressed in colonial garb, Adam Eidinger and fellow D.C. marijuana advocates visit the office staff of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 17, 2015, to protest the congressman's stand in regard to legalized marijuana in the District of Columbia. Legislative Director Amber Kirby Talley receives a pipe from Eidinger.
Goldendoodle
Shawna Blair, of the Senate Periodical Press Gallery, holds her dog George Clooney, a 4-month-old Goldendoodle, for Kate Hunter of Bloomberg News to pet in the Capitol's Senate Press Gallery on March 13, 2015.
Code Pink
Protesters from Code Pink hold up signs as Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrive to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill on March 11, 2015.
Cruz Waves
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Presidential Forum at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2015.
Warren Talks
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) speaks during the International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on March 9, 2015.
Speaking On Gun Control
Former astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords, is joined by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) for a news conference about background checks for gun purchases in the Canon House Office Building on March 4, 2015.
Selfie Time
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), shoots a video selfie as he heads to the House floor for votes on March 4, 2015.
Giffords' Voice
Former Congresswoman and handgun violence survivor Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) speaks during a news conference about background checks for gun purchases at the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 4, 2015.
Netanyahu Speaks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he steps to the lectern prior to speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2015. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) applaud.
Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde react to the huge performance this weekend by Texas QB Arch Manning, Michigan and Notre Dame's spring games, Jaden Rashada entering the transfer portal, and more
Trump is entitled to an additional 36 million shares if the company's share price trades above $17.50 "for twenty out of any thirty trading days" over the next three years.
Our final 2024 mock draft projects four quarterbacks in the first five picks, but the Cardinals at No. 4 might represent the key pivot point of the entire board.
Oakland University outfielders John Lauinger and Reggie Bussey combined on what could be college baseball's best catch of the 2024 season against Northern Kentucky.
Vincent Goodwill and Amin Elhassan react to (just about) every Round 1 game of the NBA Playoffs after the first games have been played over the weekend.
