Warren Buffet Attacked During Republican Debate

During the third Republican debate on Wednesday, presidential hopeful Chris Christie lashed out at iconic investor Warren Buffett over Social Security benefits.

"The fact is on Social Security, remember why it was established," Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, said about the topic. "It was established as a safety net program to make sure that no one would grow old in this country in poverty," he continued. "Rich people should not be collecting Social Security.

He then took aim at the 93-year-old Berkshire Hathaway CEO, saying: "I don't know if Warren Buffett is collecting Social Security. But if he is, shame on you, you shouldn't be taking the money."

Once prompted about how to solve the Social Security looming crisis of funding, Christie said the only three factors to consider to keep the program from becoming insolvent are retirement age, eligibility and taxes, but he ruled out raising taxes.

"We need to be realistic," he said. "We are already overtaxed in this country."

Asked for more details on age requirements, the former governor rebuffed the questions, saying he will discuss it once elected and that the issue needs to be negotiated in Congress.

Newsweek contacted Christie's press office for comment by email on Thursday.

The pricey Social Security program is currently expected to go insolvent in about 10 years, with funds going to 67 million Americans every year estimated to be depleted by 2034 according to a recent report by the Treasury Department. Congress would need to intervene in order for the program to continue helping the millions of Americans who rely on it.

This is not the first time that Christie has attacked the world-famous billionaire in his speeches. In 2012, when he was still governor of New Jersey, Christie told CNN that Buffett should pay more taxes.

"He should just write a check and shut up, really, and just contribute," he said. "I'm tired of hearing about it, if he wants to give the government more money he's got the ability to write a check, go ahead and write it."

Buffett had then responded to Christie's comment, telling CNBC: "It's sort of a touching response to a $1.2 trillion deficit, isn't it? That somehow the American people will all send in checks and take care of it?"

At 93 years old, Buffett is well past the retirement age required to become a Social Security beneficiary, but it's unknown whether the billionaire has actually collected any checks from the SSA through the years. Buffett is currently still working as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

There might be another reason why Christie decided to once again attack Buffett. In a 2020 interview, the billionaire said he was a Democrat, though not "a card-carrying Democrat." He added that while he sometimes voted for Republicans in his life, he supported Hillary Clinton's run for the White House in 2016.

Donald Trump, the current Republican primary frontrunner, did not attend the Wednesday debate.