Karoline Leavitt jabs Biden ahead of his Chicago speech: ‘Thought his bedtime was much earlier’

The White House on Tuesday clapped back at President Biden ahead of his first public address since leaving office, which will focus on protecting Social Security.

Expecting Mr. Biden to accuse President Trump of threatening Social Security benefits, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stressed that the administration would protect America’s senior citizens who earned retirement benefits.

She also announced that Mr. Trump would be signing a memorandum stopping illegal immigrants and other ineligible people from obtaining Social Security benefits.

Social Security will be the topic tonight when Mr. Biden steps up to the podium at the Advocates Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled conference​ in Chicago. He will be delivering the keynote address and is expected to slam the Trump administration’s handling of the entitlement program.

Mr. Biden will say that budget cuts under Mr. Trump resulted in long lines and shuttering offices, making it harder for seniors and the disabled to access their benefits.

Ms. Leavitt mocked Mr. Biden’s advanced age and tendency to schedule events during the day after he admitted he needed more sleep and sought to curtail events after 8 pm.

“I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime. I would have thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight,” she joked.

She assured Americans that Mr. Trump won’t cut Social Security, a claim repeated by Democrats who warn that entitlement programs must be slashed to achieve the kind of budget cuts the president has demanded. They say his efforts to curb government spending are coming at the expense of programs and services Americans depend upon.

“Let me make this very clear ahead of former President Biden’s remarks: The president, this president, President Trump, is absolutely certain about protecting Social Security benefits for law-abiding, tax-paying American citizens and seniors who have paid into this program,” she said. “He will always protect that program. He campaigned on it.”

She said that Mr. Trump will rescind illegal immigrants from accessing Social Security benefits. As part of that memorandum, Mr. Trump will expand the Social Security Administration’s fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. attorneys’ offices and will direct the Inspector General to investigate earnings reports for individuals aged 100 or older with mismatched Social Security numbers.

“These taxpayer-funded benefits should be only eligible for taxpayers and President Biden should think about what he did in his last term, which allowed tens of millions of illegal people in our country, many of whom were fraudulently receiving benefits,” she said.

Last week, the Trump administration moved to classify thousands of immigrants with temporary legal status and Social Security numbers as dead, canceling their access to financial institutions, which rely on Social Security data to verify identities and deaths.

Since Mr. Biden left office on Jan 20, he has remained out of the spotlight. The 82-year-old former president’s speech comes as his Democratic Party tries to reorganize after the crushing losses in the 2024 elections.

While Mr. Biden may make himself available for fundraising and messaging, it’s unclear whether he’s a figure that will resonate with many Americans. He left the White House with just a 39% approval rating. He drew ire from conservative and middle Americans for his leftist policies and progressives were angry that he waited too long to drop out of the race, clearing the way for a second Trump administration.