Trump has frequently mentioned repealing the Affordable Care Act

Context

In the final hours and minutes leading up to the 2024 Election, both candidates were scrambling to make their final impressions on the undecided voters remaining.   

In one bid to do that, former president and current Republican candidate Donald J. Trump took to X (formerly Twitter) on October 31, claiming he never said he wanted to end the Affordable Care Act or Social Security (archived here). These, he claimed, were lies on Harris' part. His post has been viewed over 30.3 million times.

However, Trump's record proves otherwise. 

In fact

The Affordable Care Act

Beginning with his first presidential campaign, Trump promised during an October 23, 2016, rally in Naples, Florida, to "immediately repeal and replace the disaster known as Obamacare." 

Obamacare is the nickname given to the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by former president Barack Obama in 2010.

Shortly after his election, in January 2017, at the Republican Congressional Retreat, he reiterated this promise, stating, "On my first day in office, I signed an executive order to roll back the burdens of Obamacare and pave the way for real reform." Indeed, by January 26, 2020, Trump had asked the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act entirely. 

In addition to his voting record, his public statements on social media also demonstrate a long and clear history of calling for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. 

On November 29, 2023, Trump posted the following statement on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded after he was banned from numerous other platforms: "I don't want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare sucks!!!" 

Numerous other Tweets by Trump, going back as early as May 2015, repeat this intention to replace Obamacare.

Social security

Trump's social media record suggests that he has long opposed cuts to social security, as this has been the main criticism he has lodged against his opponents. 

However, no evidence supports his claim that Harris has plans to end social security. In fact, she has gone on record stating that she has no plans to cut social security and instead plans to increase its funding. 

The claim that immigration rates threaten social security is also questionable. Since active workers pay into social security, it depends mainly on a balanced ratio between active workers and recipients, such as retirees. 

More workers through immigration does not necessarily mean less social security – it could mean more. Immigrant workers who receive social security benefits must register for social security numbers and thus pay into the social security system. 

We have contacted the Trump Campaign for further clarification and will update the check if we receive a response.

The verdict

Trump has repeatedly stated he would like to replace the Affordable Care Act, and both candidates have stated that they would like to support social security growth. Therefore, we have rated this claim as false.