WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden is set to reenter the national spotlight Tuesday with a speech focused on protecting Social Security, aiming to rally opposition to what he describes as threats posed by President Donald Trump’s policies.
The 82-year-old Democrat has remained largely out of public view since leaving office in January. Despite repeated criticism from Trump, who often blames his predecessor for the country’s challenges, Biden has until now mostly stayed silent.
That changes Tuesday evening in Chicago, where Biden will speak at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD). While he has made a few public appearances in recent weeks, this marks his most prominent return — and it comes with a message aimed at tens of millions of Americans ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“As bipartisan leaders have long agreed, Americans who retire after paying into Social Security their whole lives deserve the vital support and caring services they receive,” said Rachel Buck, ACRD’s executive director. “We are thrilled the president will be joining us to discuss how we can work together for a stable and successful future for Social Security.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has rapidly downsized the federal workforce, including thousands of Social Security Administration (SSA) employees. His administration has also announced plans to lay off 7,000 additional workers and implement controversial identity-proofing requirements for benefit recipients.
The SSA is currently facing legal challenges after allowing the Department of Government Efficiency — headed by billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser — to access Social Security numbers and other personal data. Musk has previously called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
Meanwhile, Social Security recipients are reporting long wait times and increasing issues with the “my Social Security” benefits portal, including outages and erroneous notices claiming they were no longer receiving benefits. The agency has said the notices were sent in error. The White House insists that no benefit cuts are planned, and that the changes are aimed solely at reducing fraud and waste.
Biden will be joined in Chicago by a bipartisan group of former leaders, including ex-Senators Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), as well as former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley.
“Social Security is a sacred promise between generations,” said O’Malley. “We are deeply grateful to the President for joining us at ACRD to discuss how we can keep that promise for all Americans.”
Despite this reemergence, Biden is not expected to take on a consistent public role. He continues to maintain an office in Washington, but has returned to Delaware as his primary residence. Trump has revoked Biden’s security clearances.
Although Biden may remain an influential figure in Democratic messaging and fundraising, his approval ratings remain low. He ended his reelection campaign following a poor debate performance against Trump, clearing the way for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to Trump in the general election.
A Gallup poll conducted shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January showed just 39% of Americans viewed Biden favorably — a figure largely unchanged from post-election surveys and consistent with the low ratings that marked the final stretch of his presidency.
