White House Fact-Checks Fox News With GOP Sen. Ron Johnson's Own Words

The Biden White House fired back at a tweet from Fox News on Thursday with audio from a Republican senator.

The conservative network in a post and linked story accused the White House of tripling down on what it described as President Joe Biden s false claims in his State of the Union speech about some Republicans wanting to cut Social Security.

In response, the White House wrote: Republican Senator Ron Johnson, in radio interviews today, said that Social Security was a legal Ponzi scheme and that Social Security should have been privatized.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson, in radio interviews today, said that Social Security was a legal Ponzi scheme and that Social Security should have been privatized. https://t.co/0ebrqBqJqi pic.twitter.com/1jnX5TkKbQ

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Republican Senator Ron Johnson, in radio interviews today, said that Social Security was a legal Ponzi scheme and that Social Security should have been privatized. https://t.co/0ebrqBqJqi pic.twitter.com/1jnX5TkKbQ
The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 9, 2023

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In the audio shared by the White House, the Wisconsin senator said: Thats why what I talked about, for the first time around in 2010, I just laid out the reality of Social Security. Its a legal Ponzi scheme. It is. I mean, its a pay-as-you-go system.

Later Thursday, Johnson suggested the system be privatized.

Privatizing Social Security, he said. That was like the worst thing in the world. Well, you know, had we done it back then, you know, Social Security might be in a more stable position for younger workers.