Biden argues for increasing taxes on the wealthy to maintain Social Security's solvency and criticizes Trump's approach to the economy and social security, using endorsements from a group of Nobel laureates to bolster his position. While the proposal to tax the wealthy more heavily is a clear and valid strategy for addressing Social Security funding, the broad endorsement from Nobel laureates, not all of whom are economists, may not provide a universally accepted or comprehensive assessment of the economic policies in question.

1. straw man • Biden misrepresents Trump's position by exaggerating or fabricating his stance on Social Security to argue against it more easily.

...he wants to get rid of Social Security; he thinks that there's plenty to cut in Social Security.

Biden's representation of Trump's position oversimplifies and distorts Trump's nuanced stance. Trump's approach, currently, focuses on economic growth as a means to support Social Security, rather than direct cuts to benefits. While he has made statements in the past that suggest openness to cuts, his more recent emphasis is on retracting those comments and on protecting benefits, which contradicts the portrayal of him as wanting to dismantle or significantly reduce the program.

Additionally, Trump has proposed to combat fraud and waste in Social Security, which indicates a strategy aimed at making the program more efficient without harming beneficiaries. This approach is significantly different from the implication that Trump's policies would harm seniors or dismantle the program entirely.

Therefore, the straw man fallacy lies in presenting Trump's position as solely focused on cuts or elimination, ignoring his stated commitment to protect Social Security through economic growth and efficiency measures. This misrepresentation overlooks the complexity of Trump's statements and policies, reducing them to a simplistic and negative caricature.

2. appeal to authority • Biden appeals to the authority of a recent letter signed by 16 Nobel laureates to support his argument:

...those 15 Nobel laureates, economists, they all said that if Trump is re-elected, we're likely to have a recession...

Given that the Nobel laureates who signed the letter critiquing Trump's economic policies are a self-selected group and, contrary to Biden's description, are not exclusively economists (the group includes historians and social scientists), Biden's reference to their endorsement to critique Trump's policies should be viewed with some caution.

While it's valid for Biden to cite endorsements from notable figures to support his argument, it's important to clarify the specific expertise of these laureates and the scope of their consensus. The fact that the group is not necessarily representative of all Nobel laureates, nor exclusively focused on economics, introduces a potential bias in the argument. This does not invalidate Biden's reference outright but suggests that the appeal should be considered alongside other evidence and arguments when assessing the economic policies of the candidates.