During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, President Donald Trump criticized Social Security, referring to its age database as “a scam” after highlighting the number of individuals reportedly listed as over 100 years old.
Newsweek has contacted the Social Security press office for a response via email on Sunday morning.
Why This Is Important
Despite Trump’s promise not to cut Social Security, some skeptics worry he may change his stance, particularly with the recent involvement of his close adviser Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force, which is investigating federal agencies for waste, fraud, and abuse.
Though there have been instances of benefit fraud, fewer than 1 percent were reported in July 2024 by the Social Security Administration (SSA) inspector general, and most payments went to living recipients. The scale indicated by Musk and Trump seems exaggerated and could prompt significant cuts to the program.
Key Points to Consider
In recent weeks, both Trump and Musk have asserted that millions of people aged over 100 are collecting Social Security benefits, labeling it a “HUGE problem,” according to Musk.
In his CPAC speech in Maryland, Trump asked the audience, “Do they get paid? Is someone taking all of this money?” He presented age brackets in 10-year increments starting from 100, claiming millions of individuals in each category, including one person he said was reported to be 360 years old.
The figures Trump referenced, in the “tens of millions,” exceed the actual data available on the SSA’s website and the screenshot of the age database Musk shared earlier this month.
Trump stated, “It’s all a scam, the whole thing is a scam,” about the benefits database for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and added, “under our administration, there will be no tolerance for Social Security fraud. We will not allow anyone to cheat our seniors, and those who do will face prosecution by [U.S. Attorney General] Pam Bondi and others.”
According to the SSA’s website, which was last updated in December 2024, there are 89,106 “retired worker beneficiaries” aged over 99 currently receiving benefits. U.S. Census Bureau data indicates approximately 80,000 centenarians reside in the U.S.
A 2023 audit of Social Security noted that 18.9 million individuals were listed as 100 years or older in the database; however, the overwhelming majority had not received benefits for 50 years and were likely deceased. Only 44,000 were still receiving benefits, with just 13 reported as aged 112 or older.
This week, Acting SSA Commissioner Michelle King resigned following DOGE’s requests for access to recipient information. King had been with the agency for three decades.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Public Reactions
Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, previously stated to Newsweek: “Only around 44,000 of these were actually associated with payments. We’re discussing database anomalies here, not grand theft. This type of fearmongering about fraud is not only misleading but also dangerous. We’re dealing with a program that 67 million Americans depend on for retirement, disability, or survivor benefits. These are real lives.”
Elon Musk remarked on February 16 in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that highlighted age ranges from the Social Security database: “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.”
In a separate post on X, Musk added: “Having tens of millions of people listed in Social Security as ‘ALIVE’ when they are certainly deceased is a HUGE problem. Some of these individuals would have been alive before America even existed. Take a moment to consider that.”
Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group, previously told Newsweek: “Yes, there are individuals receiving Social Security over 100 years of age, but not nearly to the extent that Musk suggests. This confusion arises when people engage with topics they do not thoroughly understand, mixing up the existence of thousands of Social Security numbers for people over 100 with the reality of them actually receiving benefits. They are two distinct issues.”
What Lies Ahead?
According to the agency’s annual trustees report from last year, the trust fund reserves for the Social Security program are projected to become insolvent by 2035. Some experts argue that Trump’s agenda could accelerate this insolvency.
In the meantime, the president has appointed Leland Dudek as the new acting SSA director, who will serve in this capacity until the Senate deliberates on Trump’s nominee for the permanent position, Frank Bisignano, the president and CEO of Fiserv.
