White House Deletes Misleading Tweet Giving Biden Credit For Social Security Check Raise

The White House deleted a tweet Wednesday crediting President Joe Biden for a forthcoming increase in monthly Social Security payments for seniors, following widespread backlash that led to a fact-check noting that the increase was automatic, which brand-new Twitter CEO Elon Musk hailed as an “awesome” feature on the platform.

The White House account claimed, “Seniors are getting the biggest increase in their Social Security checks in ten years through President Biden’s leadership,” but a note was later added pointing out that the increase is due to a law President Richard Nixon signed in 1972 tying Social Security payments to the consumer price index, which tracks inflation.

The fact-check was the result of Twitter’s “community notes feature,” Musk tweeted Wednesday morning, which adds labels and fact-checks to misleading tweets receiving “widespread public attention.”

The Social Security Administration recently announced an 8.7% increase in checks starting in January as part of its annual cost-of-living adjustment, which will benefit more than 70 million people who receive Social Security payments.