Former President Donald Trump aired a Super Bowl ad on Sunday targeting former Gov. Nikki Haley in South Carolina markets. The ad highlights the differing stances of Trump and Haley on Social Security, particularly focusing on Haley’s attempts to adjust her position on raising the retirement age.
Trump emphasizes his commitment to maintaining Social Security untouched, citing his statement from January 2023: “Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security.”
The ad opens with a clip of Haley denying claims regarding her stance on Social Security, accompanied by a referee labeling her assertions as false. Haley is shown stating, “The fact that Donald Trump says I want to cut Social Security or raise the age. I’ve never said that.”
As a red “Make America Great Again” hat is thrown onto the field, indicating Trump’s challenge to Haley’s statement, the announcer notes, “Trump’s challenging Haley’s claim she didn’t call for easing the age of social security is under review.”
The ad proceeds to present contradictory statements made by Haley in various interviews. One clip features an anchor questioning Haley on how she would manage entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, to which Haley responds, “We say the rules have changed… 65 is way too low and we need to increase that.”
Another clip shows Haley suggesting a change in retirement age to reflect life expectancy. The announcer then references the referee’s decision, confirming Haley’s intention to alter the rules and raise the age of Social Security, which would result in benefit cuts for a significant portion of Americans.
The announcer remarks, “That was a rookie mistake by Haley,” highlighting the inconsistency in her statements regarding Social Security.