Republicans publicly split on 'politically stupid' plan to cut Social Security and Medicare

Former President Donald Trump is staking his claim to the Republican nomination on protecting the future of Medicare and Social Security, much to the exasperation of GOP lawmakers who'd rather not discuss possible cuts.

Most of the former president's potential rivals -- Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Kristi Noem, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo and Tim Scott -- have all supported entitlement changes over the years, and many Republican lawmakers and down-ticket challengers are also vulnerable to those attacks, reported Politico.

“It goes to the broader picture of how this isn’t just Trump against Democrats — it’s Trump against the establishment,” said one Trump adviser. “This is a defining policy moment for a lot of Republicans.”

Some Republicans are once again consideringcuts to both programs as part of the upcoming debt-limit fight, and some GOP lawmakers aren't happy that Trump is ramping up political pressure on lawmakers by splitting the party over the issue.

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“It got him elected the first time, and I think it will get him elected the second time,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee. “But it doesn’t do anything for our children and grandchildren that aren’t going to have a program that I’m enjoying right now.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) expressed frustration at Trump's “intellectually dishonest” take on the topic, but the former president's allies say discussing cuts to either publicly popular program is “politically stupid,” as Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) said.

“I really don’t like the political attitude that so many people take where they will take a set of programs that are wildly popular and very beneficial for Republican voters, and point to all of the other things that are more important than them,” Vance said.

But pro-cut Republicans are either going quiet on the issue or backing more modest cuts they say are aimed at ensuring both programs don't go bankrupt, as some projections suggest they will in about a decade.

“The best thing to do is just ignore him,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) lamented Trump's attacks on DeSantis, his chief rival for now.

“We need an adult as president who is going to take on the tough challenges, the tough problems, and be prepared to share with the American people how serious it is," Rounds said. "That we use facts, and not scare tactics."