For some seniors, virus is shifting their views of Trump
Tommye and Rody Johnson have been registered Republicans for almost seven decades. So while the couple from Vero Beach, Florida, had some reservations about then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, they just couldn鈥檛 imagine voting for Hillary Clinton.
Now, after nearly four years of President Trump鈥檚 tweets, the impeachment scandal, and especially, what they see as his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, they can鈥檛 imagine voting for him again.
They鈥檙e not the only ones. According to a recent ,听Mr. Trump鈥檚 approval rating among voters over the age of 65 dropped 20 points between March and the end of April, making seniors more critical of the president鈥檚 performance than any other age group aside from 18- to 29-year-olds. Much of that decline seems directly related to the virus, which so far has posed a far more serious health threat to older people.听听
Why We Wrote This
President Trump鈥檚 approval rating has fallen among older Americans, many of whom feel especially isolated and at risk. Even a small shift among this bloc of voters could pose a serious threat to the president鈥檚 reelection.
Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,听all our coronavirus coverage听is free. No paywall.
As the debate over lifting lockdowns has intensified, the president鈥檚 eagerness to get the economy moving again seems to have put him at odds with many older voters 鈥� who, as retirees without children at home, may not be as focused on reopening schools or local businesses.听In the same Morning Consult poll, by a nearly 6-to-1 margin, seniors said the government should prioritize halting the spread of the virus over focusing on the economy. Some older adults say that Mr. Trump 鈥� himself a septuagenarian, as is presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden 鈥� doesn鈥檛 seem to understand how vulnerable and undervalued this crisis has made them feel.听听
鈥淭he people my age, we have become dispensable,鈥澨齭ays Wendy Penk, a lifelong Republican in her 60s from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ms. Penk, like the Johnsons, voted for Mr. Trump last time around, but is now part of a 鈥淩epublicans for Biden鈥� Facebook group. She worries about her husband鈥檚 health, and says Mr. Trump鈥檚 handling of the pandemic cemented her decision to vote a 鈥渟traight blue鈥� ticket in November.听
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen this level of mishandling my entire life, and I was around during Richard Nixon and Watergate,鈥� says Ms. Penk. 鈥淭his coronavirus situation has just highlighted how inept [President Trump] is.鈥�
To be sure, many seniors still support the president. Older voters tend to be more conservative in their politics than younger ones, and听Republicans have won voters over 65 in the听past听three听presidential听elections, even as Democrats have expanded their edge among young voters. In 2016, Mr. Trump carried seniors by , according to Pew.
Yet several recent national surveys have shown former Vice President Biden leading Mr. Trump among seniors. And while the election is still six months away, the trend represents a clear warning sign for the president. Significantly, many of the most critical battleground states 鈥撎齭uch as Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan 鈥� also happen to be among the .
Unlike young people, seniors vote consistently. In 2016, more than 70% of older voters participated in the election, compared with 46% of voters under the age of 30.听If the president slips even a few percentage points among this bloc of voters, say experts, it would be enough to hand the election to Mr. Biden.听
鈥淭rump can鈥檛 win without them,鈥� says Michael Binder, director of the University of North Florida鈥檚 Public Opinion Research Lab. 鈥淚f he loses a sizable chunk, or even if Biden can get that margin small, Trump is ruined.鈥�
The silent generation
Mr. Trump鈥檚 campaign has lately begun making a concerted effort to shore up his support among seniors. Earlier this month, the president proclaimed May 2020 as 鈥�.鈥澨齌he administration announced a new initiative focused on nursing homes, which have struggled with some of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks, saying it would send more personal protective equipment to those facilities.
鈥淒uring this precarious and stressful time, we must remember our treasured older adults and recommit to doing what we can to support and care for them,鈥� Mr. Trump said in his proclamation. 鈥淥lder Americans know how to overcome.听They have done it their whole lives.鈥�
Indeed, voters in their late 70s and 80s are often called the silent generation 鈥� a reference to the听听that was forged by the Great Depression and World War II. Yet having lived through numerous presidencies, many older Americans also say they know the difference leadership can make during a crisis.
鈥淭his could have been an opportunity to unite the country,鈥� says Mr. Johnson. 鈥淲e were children in World War II, and if we had that kind of leadership today, this crisis would be a different thing.鈥�
Ken Holmes, a Republican from the ruby-red state of Mississippi, notes that seniors aren鈥檛 expecting everything to be easy:听鈥淎s adults who have been through Vietnam, and as adults with parents who have been through World War II, we know what sacrifice is,鈥� he says. But 鈥渨e need an adult in the room.鈥�
Mr. Holmes, who works as a receptionist at a local hospital outside Jackson, recently had a friend die from the virus. He says he knows he鈥檚 not the only 2016 Trump voter souring on the president.听
The crisis 鈥渉as just confirmed how incompetent [President Trump] is 鈥� and how uncaring he is for others,鈥� says Mr. Holmes. He鈥檚 planning to听vote for Mr. Biden in November, the first time he鈥檚 ever voted for a Democrat, he says.听听
The view from The Villages
In 2016, in the all-important state of Florida, Mr. Trump won seniors by 17 points. So it raised some eyebrows when a taken in late April found him 10 points behind Mr. Biden among voters over 65.
Still, in The Villages, the world鈥檚 largest 55-plus retirement community, located in Sumter County, Florida, Chris Stanley isn鈥檛 sure opinions of Mr. Trump have really shifted all that much.
鈥淭he lines are drawn here in The Villages, and they have been drawn since early 2016,鈥� says Ms. Stanley, president of The Villages鈥� Democratic Club. 鈥淚f you come as a Trump supporter who is no longer going to support him in November 鈥� you鈥檝e just lost your social group.鈥澨�
Ms. Stanley does say she sees fewer 鈥淭rump 2020鈥� flags flying lately 鈥� the only visible form of political support permitted in the community. Similarly, Cathy Hardy, chair of the Sumter County Democratic Party, says that anecdotally, she鈥檚 heard a handful of locals say Mr. Trump鈥檚 handling of COVID-19 was 鈥渢he nail in the coffin.鈥澨�
鈥淭he health concerns people have nationwide are intensified here,鈥� she says.
Last month, Ms. Hardy鈥檚 committee ran a virtual fundraiser to raise money for buying stamps, since so much campaign information must now be delivered by mail. Usually in a good month, she says, they will have 15 to 20 first-time donors. But for this event in April, they had 85.听
鈥淚t was happening before the coronavirus, but that has only further dwindled down his base,鈥� says Ms. Hardy. 鈥淧eople are not happy with the way he鈥檚 been handling it.鈥�
One question is whether the pandemic could have a dampening effect on seniors鈥� top-notch turnout rates. To avoid facing crowds and long lines on Election Day 鈥� and after hearing about the COVID-19 cases that were to听Wisconsin鈥檚 in-person primary 鈥� many campaign strategists are wondering if some older voters may choose not to vote at all.听
On the other hand, counties like Sumter are seeing more voters signing up to vote by mail. The most vote-by-mail registrations Ms. Hardy鈥檚 team had seen in one month before the pandemic was around 330, but they have almost tripled that record in the last five weeks.听
And voters like the Johnsons say Mr. Trump鈥檚 lack of leadership during COVID-19 has made them more politically motivated than ever. They say when and if circumstances permit, they鈥檙e planning to canvass for Mr. Biden 鈥� the first time they鈥檝e done anything besides simply vote for a candidate since Barry Goldwater.听
鈥淭here are a few of us out there,鈥� says Ms. Johnson from her condo overlooking palm trees and the Indian River. 鈥淓very now and then I hear of more, and it makes me feel better.鈥澨�
Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service,听all our coronavirus coverage听is free. No paywall.
