Did Trump Threaten to Cut Social Security?

The short answer is "no".

I know you've seen plenty of headlines with varying degrees of hysteria claiming that Trump is open to cuts in Social Security, but he said no such thing.

He was asked in an interview if cuts to "entitlements" were on the table in order to reduce the deficit. If you read my previous blog post you know that Social Security is an entitlement. The definition of a government entitlement is a program where you are entitled to the benefits if you meet the conditions. This is different than discretionary spending which can be cancelled at any time since it is not permanently written into law.  But there is the popular (and incorrect) understanding of the term entitlement which is a "handout" given to people who did not earn it, and is usually used pejoratively. Which definition was in Trump's mind when he was asked that question? There's a good chance, given his reliance on right-wing media and his overall ignorance of how government works, that his understanding of "entitlements" is not the government definition, but the popular one.

Keep in mind that Trump is usually loathe to admit that he doesn't know something and is often quick to make statements that are not thought through and have to be retracted or explained away by his subordinates later on.  Trump's answer contained several versions of "we're looking at it" which generally can be interpreted as "we're not looking at it", as well as references to "at the right time" which in Trumpspeak means "I hope you forget about it". Add his rambling on about how our supposed great economy obviates the need for safety net programs and you can get a pretty good idea that he's talking through his ass.

This is not to say that entitlements other than Social Security are safe. Conservative dogma for decades has been that individuals are responsible for their own situations and taxpayers should not be subsidizing them in any way. Conservatives, who for those same decades have been adamant about controlling the deficit, apparently suffered mass amnesia when Republicans held the presidency and both houses of Congress and pushed through a corporate tax cut that made previous deficits look like small change. This tax cut, which was supposed to pay for itself, but hasn't, has resulted in Republican lawmakers looking for more vulnerable programs to make cuts in.

Actually making cuts to Social Security itself is probably a bridge that Trump and his Republican cult followers will never cross.