Trump promises 'our seniors' free stuff as poll shows he's losing them by 21 points

Donald Trump on Thursday released a groveling and rambling video directed to senior voters in the United States, in which he made vague promises to “take care” of them with “free” medicine.

“We’re taking care of our seniors. You’re not vulnerable but they like to say you’re vulnerable. You’re the least vulnerable but for this one thing, you are vulnerable. So am I,” Trump said in the video posted to Twitter. “So we’re going to take care of our seniors — all free!”

Of course, Trump does not have the ability to unilaterally make an expensive experimental coronavirus drug available free to all seniors.

And it’s not the first time he made a promise to the age group he is likely unable to keep. In September, Trump announced he was trying to bribe seniors with $200 cards they could use to buy prescription drugs — even though it’s unclear whether he even has the authority to spend the roughly $6 billion needed to send cards of that amount to older Americans across the United States.

Yet Trump’s video comes as his standing with senior voters — the most reliable voting bloc in the country — has steadily declined, threatening to doom his reelection bid.

A recent CNN poll found Democratic nominee Joe Biden winning voters over the age of 65 by a margin of 60% to 39%. That 21-point spread marks a huge shift from 2016, when voters over 65 backed Trump by 7 points, according to exit polls.

And an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday found Biden leading seniors 62% to 35%.

Trump’s plummeting numbers among seniors come as he’s downplayed the risk of the coronavirus, even after contracting it himself. In a video after his release from the hospital following treatment for the virus, Trump told the country not to be “afraid” of the virus, nor to let it “dominate your life.”

However, people over age 65 are the most at risk of dying from the coronavirus. Those in that age group account for 153,032 of the 194,091 coronavirus deaths that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged as of Sept. 30. That number means people over 65 account for 79% of all coronavirus deaths.

Trump has also made fun of Biden’s age, with Trump and his surrogates baselessly accusing Biden of being confused and suffering from dementia — another illness that primarily afflicts older Americans.

Losing seniors — who turn out at the highest rate of any age group — would be devastating for Trump.

The group is essential to victory in states like Florida, which Trump likely needs to carry to win reelection.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.