With pandemic dominating U.S. election, older voters turning away from Trump

By Chris Kahn and James Oliphant

 

A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump waves an American flag during a boat parade to rally for his reelection, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., October 3, 2020. REUTERS/Marco Bello

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many older Americans have turned away from President Donald Trump this year as the coronavirus ravages the country, eroding an important Republican support base that helped propel him into the White House in 2016, Reuters/Ipsos polling data shows.

 

Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden now split American voters aged 55 years and older almost evenly: 47% say they are voting for Biden on Nov. 3 while 46% back Trump, according to Reuters/Ipsos national surveys in September and October.

 

That could be an alarming sign for the president, who trails Biden with 25 days to go before the election.

 

Republicans have relied on the support of older Americans in national elections for years, routinely benefiting from a demographic that consistently shows up in force on Election Day.

 

Trump won the 55-plus age group by 13 percentage points in 2016, according to exit polls. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, achieved the same margin.

 

Reuters/Ipsos state polls also show Biden outperforming Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, among older voters in a handful of battleground states, where seniors make up an outsized proportion of the electorate.

 

Winning those states will be critical to the outcome of the 2020 race: whoever takes the most battleground states will be on track to win the Electoral College and the White House.

 

Biden is beating Trump among older voters in Wisconsin by 10 points and drawing about the same amount of support as Trump is with that demographic in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida and Arizona, according to the state polls conducted in mid-September and early October.

 

Four years ago, Trump won older voters in each of those states by 10 to 29 points.

 

Half of the older voters in the five battleground states blamed the high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country - nearly 7.6 million cases and more than 210,000 deaths - on "poor leadership and policy decisions from President Trump," the polls show.

 

Randy Bode, 59, a Republican in Douglas, Arizona, who voted for Trump in 2016, said he was disappointed with Trump's suggestion that people could protect themselves from COVID-19 by drinking bleach.

 

"He shouldn't be saying the things he's saying" about the coronavirus, he said.

 

Bode, who is now undecided, is also concerned about Trump's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and how that would leave millions of Americans without health insurance during a health crisis.

 

"He's had four years to come up with a plan, and he hasn't done it," he said.

 

A DETERIORATING BASE

 

Trump's standing with older Americans has deteriorated this year as the novel coronavirus swept the country, closing thousands of businesses and overwhelming the health care system that seniors rely on more than others.

 

Sixty-one percent said this week in a national Reuters/Ipsos poll that they disapprove of the president's handling of the coronavirus, up 12 percentage points from May. And Trump's net approval for his response to the virus dropped among all Americans to its lowest level since Reuters started asking the question in early March.

 

Among older Americans, 83% were concerned about the threat that the coronavirus poses to their personal health and safety.

 

“Seniors were much more worried about COVID than younger Americans,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist whose firm has spotted a similar trend in its polling data.

 

Trump’s campaign has been working to stop the bleeding, and last weekend he dispatched Vice President Mike Pence to campaign at The Villages, the conservative retirement community in central Florida.

 

On Thursday, while still convalescing at the White House from his recent coronavirus infection, the president addressed America's seniors in a video, calling them his "favorite people in the world" and pledging to make new virus-fighting drugs available to them for free.

 

“You are vulnerable and so am I,” Trump said. “We’re going to take care of our seniors.”

 

The Trump campaign pointed to an executive order he signed last year aimed at bolstering Medicare, the national insurance program for Americans 65 and older.

 

“President Trump and his administration remain laser-focused on protecting our most vulnerable citizens, including our nation’s senior citizens,” said Ken Farnaso, a Trump campaign spokesman.

 

Biden is also pitching directly to older voters, particularly in Arizona and Florida.

 

His campaign has been running ads featuring a Florida couple who can't see their grandchildren because of the pandemic. Other ads have focused on Trump’s threat to eliminate the payroll tax, which funds Social Security.

 

Conant said Trump needs to figure out how to bring seniors back into the fold - and fast.

 

“It’s crucial,” he said. “Trump will not win without strong support from senior voters.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-09

 

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7 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

With pandemic dominating U.S. election, older voters turning away from Trump

we all love trump; we just want to see him as the worst us ex-president ever; and a dunce fool

Edited October 9, 20205 yr by YetAnother

Trump is a world champion bulls###ter. More fool older Americans if they believe him.

There's a disease people get, usually children, where they like to eat non edible substances, like chalk, bits of plastic or wood, crayons, strips of fabric and assorted stuff, that nobody else could imagine wanting to chow down on.  It's sort of like that with Trump supporters.  Whereas most people take one look at that ridiculous hairstyle and that gigantic obese woman's butt, and feel like someone's tickling the back of their throat with a feather to elicit a gag reflex, Trump's supporters think they're looking at a normal, actual human being. 

 

Four years ago, my father absolutely loved Donald Trump, and shared memories of going to college with the guy and having many lunches with the man, except my father was senile and was twelve years older than the future President, and never went to college with him and never sat at a table to share a meal with the guy.  It was all a delusion caused by senility that was progressing at a gallop.

 

I'm writing this, because I think it's a given at this point, that if you support this creep, it might be a good idea to see a gerontologist and check out your mental faculties, because it could be a serious sign that something is wrong with you. 

Edited October 9, 20205 yr by Dolmance
Bad spelling needed fixing.

In the face of Trump continuing  to downplay the potential danger of  Covid-19  for the elderly while also continuing to eliminate, or at least try to, important aspects of health care coverage with no presentation of any promised alternative it is no surprise they are worried.

If there is any need  for them to confirm those  worries then perhaps they  need also to look outside the  bubble of the USA to Europe where the pandemic is still rife and resurging. No doubt the "Election" is  a paramount distraction from global reality for US  citizens but if they were more cognizant of it they would be adamant in rejection of Trump and his dangerous deceptions.

Hollow promises of free vaccines?

Americans put this fool in the White House.

They must feel ashamed.

29 minutes ago, fishtank said:

Americans put this fool in the White House.

They must feel ashamed.

To be fair I would say embarrassed. A majority did  not ask for him to be there.

Those that want to  keep him  should be the ones ashamed IMO.

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Randy Bode, 59, a Republican in Douglas, Arizona, who voted for Trump in 2016, said he was disappointed with Trump's suggestion that people could protect themselves from COVID-19 by drinking bleach.

LOL.  Are they still pushing the long since debunked "drinking bleach" fallacy?  I guess if Biden is repeating the same lie it's O.K.?

 

Austin American-Statesman (slightly left leaning bias with a high factual rating) - Fact-check: Did Trump tell people to drink bleach to kill the coronavirus?

 

“And when it comes to COVID-19, after months of doing nothing, other than predicting the virus would disappear, or maybe if you drank bleach you may be okay, Trump has simply given up,” said Biden, who delivered his remarks at a metalworks factory near his hometown of Scranton on Thursday.

1 hour ago, Dolmance said:

There's a disease people get, usually children, where they like to eat non edible substances, like chalk, bits of plastic or wood, crayons, strips of fabric and assorted stuff, that nobody else could imagine wanting to chow down on.  It's sort of like that with Trump supporters.  Whereas most people take one look at that ridiculous hairstyle and that gigantic obese woman's butt, and feel like someone's tickling the back of their throat with a feather to elicit a gag reflex, Trump's supporters think they're looking at a normal, actual human being. 

 

Four years ago, my father absolutely loved Donald Trump, and shared memories of going to college with the guy and having many lunches with the man, except my father was senile and was twelve years older than the future President, and never went to college with him and never sat at a table to share a meal with the guy.  It was all a delusion caused by senility that was progressing at a gallop.

 

I'm writing this, because I think it's a given at this point, that if you support this creep, it might be a good idea to see a gerontologist and check out your mental faculties, because it could be a serious sign that something is wrong with you. 

A touching story.

However, from your post the only issue you seem to have with Trump is that he has a ridiculous hairstyle and a gigantic obese woman's butt. I guess you are OK with his small hands though.

Perhaps you should consider his policies?

 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He's had four years to come up with a plan, and he hasn't done it," he said.

Sums up the entirety of his tenure across the spectrum. 

2 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

I do not not trust fact checkers and would never consider their opinions as gospel truth.

Nor would I. I would take them as a good general indicator of what is up and what is down though.

More so when the same things come up on multiple sources.

I admire your tenacity in supporting tough positions.

Fact checking those "super dodgy and dubious fact check sites" on some of your positions, does not provide a good track record though for you of honesty and reliability in facts, as opposed to unsubstantiated opinions, being presented as fact.

Perhaps if you did check some of your facts a bit more thoroughly though, rather than accept your favourite news sources as the gospel truth you criticise fact check sites for offering on stuff you don't like, you wouldn't get ripped into by so many other posters all the time.

I respect your right to present your view, but object when you present things in a false or distorted light.

Which represents pretty much every post you make. Proven by the level of disgruntled replies you receive.

Cut the spin and the distortion and deflection and post factual things please, not opinion or conspiracy theory as fact.

 

15 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

2 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

I do not not trust fact checkers and would never consider their opinions as gospel truth.

Nor would I. I would take them as a good general indicator of what is up and what is down though.

More so when the same things come up on multiple sources.

I admire your tenacity in supporting tough positions.

Fact checking those "super dodgy and dubious fact check sites" on some of your positions, does not provide a good track record though for you of honesty and reliability in facts, as opposed to unsubstantiated opinions, being presented as fact.

Perhaps if you did check some of your facts a bit more thoroughly though, rather than accept your favourite news sources as the gospel truth you criticise fact check sites for offering on stuff you don't like, you wouldn't get ripped into by so many other posters all the time.

I respect your right to present your view, but object when you present things in a false or distorted light.

Which represents pretty much every post you make.

Cut the spin and the distortion and deflection and post factual things please, not opinion or conspiracy theory as fact.

 

I respectfully disagree with your entire summation, darksidedog, but thank you for your recognition of my tenacity.

 

Here's the problem as I see it.  You can speak absolute truth but can then be called out for stating false information.  I'll cite an example which I posted above.

 

49 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

LOL.  Are they still pushing the long since debunked "drinking bleach" fallacy?  I guess if Biden is repeating the same lie it's O.K.?

 

Austin American-Statesman (slightly left leaning bias with a high factual rating) - Fact-check: Did Trump tell people to drink bleach to kill the coronavirus?

 

“And when it comes to COVID-19, after months of doing nothing, other than predicting the virus would disappear, or maybe if you drank bleach you may be okay, Trump has simply given up,” said Biden, who delivered his remarks at a metalworks factory near his hometown of Scranton on Thursday.

The drinking bleach accusation against Trump is completely false.  He never spoke those words.  Yet though it is false it continues to be repeated, even here on TVF.  No matter how much you attempt to inject the truth (pun intended) you will still be accused of stating something which is false.

 

Bias is a formidable barrier to seeing the truth.  What to do?

 

"Which represents pretty much every post you make."

 

This statement is completely false and I can easily prove it.

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

With pandemic dominating U.S. election, older voters turning away from Trump

Of course they are Reuters, of course they are.

And the Dems are up 14 to 16 points in the polls and look as those they will sweep the Presidency, the House, and the Senate.  And yet with three weeks to go, Pelosi needs to remove Trump from office?   Let me do the math:
2+2= a bag of beans.

Come January there may not even be a functioning United States of America.  I'll watch the weeny-roast from here thanks much.

1 minute ago, Tippaporn said:

 

This statement is completely false and I can easily prove it.

One swallow a summer doth not make.

One thing you can prove against so much you post which is not possible to prove doesn't stop the trend.

As a UK conservative, I am not against your view, or your right to opine it.

I simply object when spin and opinion are repeatedly drawn in, presented as fact, anything contrary to your opinion dismissed as spurious, or liberal conspiracy without a shred of proof.

People holding opposing views have every right to do so and should not be belittled and presented with untrue "facts" with which to do so. You may not care about checking facts. The moderator team do. Diligently and extensively. I commented purely because of the amount of times your claims are way more spurious than anything you claim to be spurious.

Please abide by the forum rules, especially:

2) You will not use ThaiVisa.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

Pay attention to the words "false" and  "inaccurate" especially.

4 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

One swallow a summer doth not make.

One thing you can prove against so much you post which is not possible to prove doesn't stop the trend.

As a UK conservative, I am not against your view, or your right to opine it.

I simply object when spin and opinion are repeatedly drawn in, presented as fact, anything contrary to your opinion dismissed as spurious, or liberal conspiracy without a shred of proof.

People holding opposing views have every right to do so and should not be belittled and presented with untrue "facts" with which to do so. You may not care about checking facts. The moderator team do. Diligently and extensively. I commented purely because of the amount of times your claims are way more spurious than anything you claim to be spurious.

Please abide by the forum rules, especially:

2) You will not use ThaiVisa.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

Pay attention to the words "false" and  "inaccurate" especially.

I'll say it publicly and sincerely, darksidedog.  I appreciate your comments and will reflect upon them.

 

Edited October 9, 20205 yr by Tippaporn

3 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

LOL.  Are they still pushing the long since debunked "drinking bleach" fallacy?  I guess if Biden is repeating the same lie it's O.K.?

 

Austin American-Statesman (slightly left leaning bias with a high factual rating) - Fact-check: Did Trump tell people to drink bleach to kill the coronavirus?

 

“And when it comes to COVID-19, after months of doing nothing, other than predicting the virus would disappear, or maybe if you drank bleach you may be okay, Trump has simply given up,” said Biden, who delivered his remarks at a metalworks factory near his hometown of Scranton on Thursday.

To some extent (only), I don't disagree with you. Trump did not expressively recommend to inject bleach. Instead of shutting his big gob, he just said the first stupid B.S which came to his mind, in order to try to look interesting.

 

That's where we strongly disagree. I think that in the midst of an acute crisis, a POTUS should not tell the first stupid B.S. that comes to his mind.

For you, obviously, it's not a problem at all.

9 hours ago, fishtank said:

Americans put this fool in the White House.

They must feel ashamed.

Are they that educated? ???? (The Trump base) 

7 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

Bias is a formidable barrier to seeing the truth.  What to do?

Look at your leader, fanboy! The greatest BS'er in the history of POTUS, even worse than Nixon! Stand by Proud Boys!

End of the day, the voters seem more than happy with the results of the last 4 years. Now while I am convinced there is some way to spin that a higher rating is a bad thing, I will take it at face value. One possible reason for such a disconnect with Biden/Trump polls could be the question is not "risky" to answer in the same way that a direct "do you support Trump" question could be?

 

"More American voters believe they are better off after four years under President Donald Trump than they did at the end of the first terms of former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, new polling data has revealed.

The latest survey from Gallup found that a clear majority of registered voters (56 percent) believed they were better off now compared to four years ago."

https://www.newsweek.com/more-voters-better-off-donald-trump-first-term-obama-bush-1537759

6 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

End of the day, the voters seem more than happy with the results of the last 4 years. Now while I am convinced there is some way to spin that a higher rating is a bad thing, I will take it at face value. One possible reason for such a disconnect with Biden/Trump polls could be the question is not "risky" to answer in the same way that a direct "do you support Trump" question could be?

 

"More American voters believe they are better off after four years under President Donald Trump than they did at the end of the first terms of former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, new polling data has revealed.

The latest survey from Gallup found that a clear majority of registered voters (56 percent) believed they were better off now compared to four years ago."

https://www.newsweek.com/more-voters-better-off-donald-trump-first-term-obama-bush-1537759

Asking people if they feel better off than they we’re two elections back?

 

How about are you better off than you where this time last year?

 

Your assertion “End of the day, the voters seem more than happy with the results of the last 4 years.” is, I suspect, based on what ‘seems’ to you personally.

 

We’re soon to find out.

Yup, just more Fake News from the Lamestream Media. If anything, Trump's "Oldster" support is through the roof. 

My dear Aunt whose neighborhood there in Palm Springs, California tells moi that she sees virtually zero Biden signs on lawns there. Nothing but Trump as far as the eye can see! ???? 

 

MAGA 

7 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Yup, just more Fake News from the Lamestream Media. If anything, Trump's "Oldster" support is through the roof. 

My dear Aunt whose neighborhood there in Palm Springs, California tells moi that she sees virtually zero Biden signs on lawns there. Nothing but Trump as far as the eye can see! ???? 

 

MAGA 

Does your dear Aunt  get out  and about  much?

6 hours ago, candide said:

To some extent (only), I don't disagree with you. Trump did not expressively recommend to inject bleach. Instead of shutting his big gob, he just said the first stupid B.S which came to his mind, in order to try to look interesting.

 

That's where we strongly disagree. I think that in the midst of an acute crisis, a POTUS should not tell the first stupid B.S. that comes to his mind.

For you, obviously, it's not a problem at all.

A President should never say anything publicly without considering how it might be interpreted and choosing his words carefully.  Wars have been started (the Korean War and the first Iraq War) because the US policies regarding defending South Korea and Kuwait were misinterpreted.  I have no doubt that Khashoggi was killed because Saudi Arabia took Trump's contempt for a free press as a green light to murder troublesome journalists.

 

Responsible Presidents always choose their words carefully.  Trump is not a responsible President.

 

 

Edited October 10, 20205 yr by heybruce

17 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Yup, just more Fake News from the Lamestream Media. If anything, Trump's "Oldster" support is through the roof. 

My dear Aunt whose neighborhood there in Palm Springs, California tells moi that she sees virtually zero Biden signs on lawns there. Nothing but Trump as far as the eye can see! ???? 

 

MAGA 

Do you think your aunt and her Palm Springs friends are going to turn California from red to blue?

8 hours ago, darksidedog said:

One swallow a summer doth not make.

One thing you can prove against so much you post which is not possible to prove doesn't stop the trend.

As a UK conservative, I am not against your view, or your right to opine it.

I simply object when spin and opinion are repeatedly drawn in, presented as fact, anything contrary to your opinion dismissed as spurious, or liberal conspiracy without a shred of proof.

People holding opposing views have every right to do so and should not be belittled and presented with untrue "facts" with which to do so. You may not care about checking facts. The moderator team do. Diligently and extensively. I commented purely because of the amount of times your claims are way more spurious than anything you claim to be spurious.

Please abide by the forum rules, especially:

2) You will not use ThaiVisa.com to post any material which is knowingly or can be reasonably construed as false, inaccurate, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law.

Pay attention to the words "false" and  "inaccurate" especially.

Thank you for joining in the debate on a matter that, IMO, should have been openly reviewed a while back. I trust the input you have provided on behalf of the management / Moderator team will led to a more reasonable forum for discussion.

9 minutes ago, heybruce said:

A President should never say anything publicly without considering how it might be interpreted and choosing his words carefully.  Wars have been started (the Korean War and the first Iraq War) because the US policies regarding defending South Korea and Kuwait were misinterpreted.  I have no doubt that Khashoggi was killed because Saudi Arabia took Trump's contempt for a free press as a green light to murder troublesome journalists.

 

Responsible Presidents always choose their words carefully.  Trump is not a responsible President.

 

 

Trump was elected, IMO, BECAUSE he isn't a normal politician. The people that voted for him did so, IMO because he was rough and unpolished and said things he shouldn't just like a normal person does. The average person, IMO, no longer identifies with career politicians that have never done a real job their entire lives.

52 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Clutching and straws comes to mind.

They, IMO, think if they keep claiming that various groups are "turning away from Trump" the undecided will believe it and vote for the other old rich white man.

Dream on.

Four more years.

Thats an odd post from one who claims he is not a trump supporter.

32 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Yup, just more Fake News from the Lamestream Media. If anything, Trump's "Oldster" support is through the roof. 

My dear Aunt whose neighborhood there in Palm Springs, California tells moi that she sees virtually zero Biden signs on lawns there. Nothing but Trump as far as the eye can see! ???? 

 

MAGA 

Given trump lost the majority vote in 2016 and has continued the same journey with insults every day aimed at the intelligence of the majority e.g. 'Lamestream Media' why do you believe trump will win '03/11'. trump will soon be in the dustbin of history based upon his proven inability to lead and heal divisions for the American people as a whole.

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Given trump lost the majority vote in 2016 and has continued the same journey with insults every day aimed at the intelligence of the majority e.g. 'Lamestream Media' why do you believe trump will win '03/11'. trump will soon be in the dustbin of history based upon his proven inability to lead and heal divisions for the American people as a whole.

I believe he'll win because the opposition choice is even worse.

Same as in the last election.

 

Try putting up a choice that isn't an obvious globalist sock puppet if you want someone else to win.

Nobody wants Trump as president, he's just the least worse candidate.

Edited October 10, 20205 yr by BritManToo

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Trump was elected, IMO, BECAUSE he isn't a normal politician. The people that voted for him did so, IMO because he was rough and unpolished and said things he shouldn't just like a normal person does. The average person, IMO, no longer identifies with career politicians that have never done a real job their entire lives.

I suggest to you the majority do not identify with an individual attacking the institutions of government without a plan - no policies - who is incapable of leading the American people through crisis, rather solely focussed on self-interest.