Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick pummeled over Social Security 'fraudster' comments

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Yahoo! News/Business Insider

Sat, March 22, 2025 at 10:46 PM EDT


Howard Lutnick, the billionaire Secretary of Commerce, is being pummeled online over his comments on Thursday that his 94-year-old mother-in-law would not complain about a missed Social Security check and that someone who would is a "fraudster."

"Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month — my mother-in-law, who's 94, she wouldn't call and complain," Lutnick told All-In Podcast host Chamath Palihapitiya. "A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

Based on a fact sheet published by the Social Security Administration, more than 7 million Americans 65 and older receive at least 90% of their income from benefits checks. Social Security employees have been warning that the Trump administration's plan to cut 7,000 SSA staff will result in delayed benefit checks and could extend the wait time by two to three times.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Lutnick's net worth was at least $2.2 billion as of February 2025.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/secretary-commerce-howard-lutnick-pummeled-024658217.html

[Ocelot II]

1. The mother-in-law of a billionaire wouldn't even notice if her SS payment didn't show up,

although Howard Nutlick sounds like the sort of asshole who would let his mother-in-law starve if he felt like it. But that's neither here nor there. What this entitled douche seems to have forgotten is that we paid for our Social Security. We little folks who aren't the in-laws of billionaires paid that FICA tax for decades so we'd have the assurance of some income, even if just a small one, when we got old. That's our money.

[2naSalit]

6. ...

Extra points for "Nutlick"!!

[mwb970]

2. God, how I hate these people.

That's my income they are talking about taking away.

[UpInArms]

3. I am certain his 94 year old mother

is regretting that she did not get an abortion.

[Deminpenn]

13. Mother in law is the 94 yr old

It's not his own mother.

[UpInArms]

15. My bad ...

Correcting my error:

I am certain his mother (whatever her age) regrets the piece of shit her offspring became.

[Deminpenn]

20. Of course his MIL shouldn't have

any money worries either. I'm sure her daughter would make sure she has whatever she needs.

At 94, the MIL was born during the depression and came of age during the rationing of WWII. Betting she knows the value of money.

[William Seger]

4. Just one of a LONG list of appointees who should not be anywhere near public service

... who's there because "America First" is Trump's biggest lie.

[Sneederbunk]

5. Remember Welfare Queens? Now we have Fraudster Grandmas.

If Eloon is finding all this fraud, where are the prosecutions?

[mcar]

7. Fck that guy

[Lonestarblue]

8. Lutnick is turning out to be an incompetent asshole.

[ReRe]

22. The man loses legitimacy every time he opens his mouth!

Talking against Social Security is as bad as taking/diminishing it in any way.
Keep your mouth and your mitts off our Social Security, buddy!

[RazorbackExpat]

9. Keep pummeling the SOB

He's just another Shitstain for Trump

[Delmette2.0]

10. If I had finances like his Mother in law

I wouldn't have applied for Social Security Benefits. To folks like Lutnick $2 000 a month is what he would on lunch with a buddy at the club.

[turbinetree]

11. Hey dude, I have an idea lets ask for two things here since your so interested in my/our social security

tax that we / I millions people paid............how much did you pay into social security at lets say when you were 16 or 18 when you got your first job............I demand and what to know...............where are your receipts, you know paychecks............second how much did you pay into social security after you left Noonan, Astley & Pierce (Wikipedia) and then got promoted and mentored by Rod Fisher ( Wikipedia) at Cantor Fitzgerald and in the Wikipedia information it says that you were a democrat then and now a maga zealot...........but in 1983 you and your boss paid 11.1% (5.4% for employees and 6.7% for employers) of taxable earnings, with a maximum earnings cap of $35,700.
So if you made $35,700. 01 you didn't have to pay into the fund correct.........and the average salary back in those days was $24,500...............what made you and everyone else making over $35,700 to stop paying..........well it was law that still stands today and the only difference is the income size now which is $168,500 you stop paying and since your a billionaire you stop in the first 20 seconds of the current year, must be nice to have two forms of a tax system of the haves and the have nots ................right.............like...........let them eat cake mentality...........


https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Lutnick

[DENVERPOPS]

16. The social security payroll tax

as I understand it, is only collected on "Wages".........not wealth gained by investments, etc......

And, as I understand it, their wealth gained by their investments, is taxed at Capital Gains rate, but ONLY when sold.
And I think the Capital Gains Tax rate is less than normal income rate......

Any Tax Pro's out their who can fill us in on the regressive tax code, it would be appreciated...

I think it safe to say, that from this point forward, that the wealthy, rich, uber rich, and oligarchs are all gonna think they have died and gone to heaven starting with this April 15th...................

Trump, Musk and Republican politicians are getting a hold of Social Security, and next will be the IRS records.

They will take those lists, match them against state voting records, spit out SSI Dems, and IRS records on Dems, for targeting with Audits. This year, their dumping employees at the IRS, there will not be IRS staff to audit anyone over 200K a year........After that they will instituted the VAT tax, (a national sales tax), which the rich have drooled over for decades. It is extremely regressive and the rich would pay a pittance and everyone in the 99% would get hammered, esp the lower the income. The rich have always complained about having to pay incredible amounts of money to employ tax lawyers and tax accountants. Soon, the Rich will no longer need to employ those two groups and they too, will suddenly go bye-bye..........

[turbinetree]

24. This is correct only on "wages"

Vanguard has a pretty good break down............

https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/taxes/realized-capital-gains

[DENVERPOPS]

25. Thanks TT

very good explanation..........

[turbinetree]

32. Your welcome

[MLWR]

12. "A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

He must be talking about himself. I don't hear anyone making as much noise as he is. At least, not yet.

[Irish_Dem]

27. This is my read, this guy is the fraudster. Yelling and accusing.

[Midwestern Democrat]

30. As someone who has attended seminars on fraud and has helped in investigations of it, he's completely wrong.

The LAST thing a fraudster wants is to attract extra attention - in fact, one of the signs of a fraudster is letting things slide - like being shorted of money - that a legitimate person would be raising hell about - because they don't want to invite ANY extra scrutiny on themselves - why would someone who's gotten away with stealing $100,000 risk imprisonment by making a big stink about being shorted $3,000?

[rsdsharp]

31. This reminds me of John Kelly saying, "It's the empty barrel that makes the most noise,"

in Dumpy’s first administration.

Kelly was just insulting a Congresswoman. Lutnick is trying to scare people by implying possible prosecution if they complain.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

14. As he should be held accountable for his comments.

Seniors with little set aside for retirement would notice less money in their accounts to cover basic living needs.

Bills cannot be put off. Seniors are NOT FRAUDSTERS!

[ms liberty]

17. So entitled, so snobbish, so tone deaf and out of touch with 98% of America

It's a really stunning lack of awareness from this jerk, and it's emblematic of the whole administration.

[Jimmy76]

21. That is what I like to hear

That comment completely speaks for me, I am 71 and would be up a paddle with any cuts of delays on my SSA benefits, which I certainly recall seeing a large deduction out of every last paycheck I ever received, my SSA benefit is a long way from being referred to as an "entitlement" as a slur, any more than any other insurance payment; I paid for it, and no one has the right to even talk about touching that.
I was highly offended by that buffoons' pathetic comment, phuck that SOB!!
If the shoe was on the other foot, any Dem talking up his butt would be non-stop harrassed by the repukes.

[Irish_Dem]

28. He represents most of the billionaire class.

They are totally removed from reality.

[neeksgeek]

18. Does this sound like anybody we know?

"A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

I mean, that’s a great description of the current occupant of the White House.

[SidneyR]

19. The ultra rich live in a bubble.

They can't imagine how regular people live. It's way beyond their own experience.

[tavernier]

23. If he was locked up in a room with no food, no heat, no water,

How quickly and loudly do you think he would start yelling?

[Irish_Dem]

29. He probably starts screaming if his Dom Prignon is not chilled to the exact temperature he demands.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. "A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

Obviously he's been watching Trump very closely.