Former US President Joe Biden made his first public remarks since leaving the White House, strongly criticizing the Donald Trump administration for what he described as “deliberate cruelty” in shrinking the Social Security Administration, the federal body that manages retiree benefits.

Speaking clearly with the help of a teleprompter, the 82-year-old Biden addressed the downsizing of the agency, which distributes retirement benefits funded by employee and employer taxes. “The last thing they need from their government is deliberate cruelty,” Biden said, accusing the Trump administration of betraying a long-standing trust between the people and their government.

“Social Security is about more than retirement accounts,” he added. “It’s about honouring a fundamental trust between government and people.”

While he avoided naming Donald Trump or his officials directly, Biden pointedly referenced policy decisions and comments made by figures like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and adviser Elon Musk. Musk had controversially likened Social Security to a Ponzi scheme, and Lutnick dismissed concerns about service delays even for elderly citizens.

The Trump administration, which had pledged not to cut Social Security, launched aggressive cost-cutting measures under Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), which reportedly led to the slashing of 7,000 agency jobs.

Biden warned that the damage inflicted in “fewer than 100 days” by the new administration was “breathtaking” and could have long-term consequences for millions of retirees.

Despite his criticisms of Trump, Biden also faces disapproval from his own Democratic Party, where many believe he should have stepped aside sooner in the 2024 race, allowing a more seasoned candidate to emerge from the primaries instead of Vice-President Kamala Harris, who was seen as untested.