Trump Claims Social Security Lists 12.4 Million Centenarians

Former President Donald Trump alleged on Thursday that the Social Security Administration’s beneficiary rolls contain 12.4 million names of individuals recorded as being more than 120 years old and nearly 135,000 recorded as older than 160. He said some of those nonexistent or long-deceased people were still shown as receiving payments, characterizing the listings as evidence of extensive fraud. Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House, did not provide documentation for the figures or specify how much money he believes was improperly disbursed. The Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the claim or on the accuracy of its records. Maintaining accurate beneficiary files is critical for the Social Security program, which paid out about $1.5 trillion in retirement and disability benefits last fiscal year. The agency has periodically been criticized by government watchdogs for delays in removing deceased individuals from its rolls, though past audits have identified erroneous listings in the thousands, not the millions cited by Trump.