(NewsGlobal.com)- 19FortyFive reports that for quite some time, Donald Trump has been a primary source of trouble for the Republican Party. Now the former president is clouding the GOP’s messaging on a critical issue: whether or not to reduce spending on Medicare and Social Security.
Trump’s attacks on possible GOP primary opponents and his cautioning party leaders to steer clear of monkeying with entitlements in their quest to slash spending are cleaving Republicans at every level.
Former advocates for overhauling entitlement programs are now publicly in conflict with colleagues who would instead water down their stances before the 2024 election.
Republican policy has consistently advocated for cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security to balance the budget, slash taxes, and reduce government expenditure.
Yet Donald Trump has made a clear dividing line on entitlements, splitting the Republican Party in two.
The conservatives want to reduce government benefits. And some in the Trump camp say they favor protecting benefits.
Trump used his trademark insults to drive home the stark contrast between the two factions. Trump called Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and a staunch conservative, a “wheelchair over the cliff “sort of man. Trump points to DeSantis’s votes on Capitol Hill to progressively increase the Medicare eligibility age.
Trump has also blasted his potential opponents in 2024 for having “entitlement beliefs,” which he claims is a hallmark of their campaigns. For instance, Trump criticized Nikki Haley for her remarks a decade ago in which she just contemplated reducing programs to keep the government small.
Former VP Mike Pence recently told CNBC that entitlements should be “on the table in the long run,” which President Trump condemned.
Trump’s line drawing suits his political standing, but it has irked other Republicans, who are annoyed at the casual way the Party is being split.
Yet, other Republicans are prepared to follow Trump’s lead and not touch entitlement programs.
