In one of the most unexpected turns of the 2020 campaign, polls are showing senior voters deeply troubled by Donald Trump. According to Axios, the elderly are abandoning the president. Axios writes:
National and state polls show a total Trump collapse among Americans 65 and older. If this chasm remains, it could help bring the whole Republican power structure down with Trump.
In what has been a 50-50ish nation, it’s stunning to see polling gaps this wide. In a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll out Sunday, Joe Biden led Trump by 27 points among seniors (62% to 35%). In a CNN/SSRS poll out yesterday, similar story — 21 points (60% to 39%). This is a group Trump won by seven points in 2016.
The reason for the reversal is the coronavirus. Axios writes the virus has hit seniors far harder than any age group. A former senior White House official said:
“[A] few of us screamed from the rooftops to them about in March. Who [cares] what anyone else thinks? If you can’t win seniors, you can’t win. And, if you don’t take something that is killing old people seriously, you will lose seniors.”
