With Election Day now less than three weeks away, President Donald Trump decided to try and mock Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office in a way that only served to further alienate senior voters, a key demographic group that the president cannot possibly win without, especially in the all-important state of Florida.
According to The Guardian:
“In 2016, Trump trounced Hillary Clinton in Florida by about 17 points among elderly voters, exit polls indicated. The state is considered critical for Trump’s path to victory in 2020, yet this time around, some polls of voters 65 and older suggest it could be a virtual tie between the Republican incumbent and his challenger Joe Biden, while others give the Democrat an even healthier advantage.
“That could be all Biden needs to clinch a win in ‘the 1% state‘, so called for the closeness of its important elections.”
On Tuesday evening, the president shared this meme on Twitter:
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2020
Ticking off a key voting bloc isn’t just stupid, it’s downright suicidal. And yet the 74-year-old Trump, who is still recovering from a nasty dose of COVID-19 is taking cheap shots at a man who is only three years older than him and who also happens to be in much better physical shape.
Social media quickly reminded Trump that his meme is exactly the wrong message to be sending this close to November:
Forget how shabby this is for a president. Forget that not a single apologist for Trump will do more than clear their throat and change the subject.
Trump NEEDS seniors.
He’s been begging for them to come back to him. Why Tweet this? It’s so stupid. https://t.co/qLnXGsqxtW
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) October 14, 2020
This does not seem like the thing to do if you’re currently trailing with seniors in the must-win state of Florida. https://t.co/hEG0lZWGNz
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) October 14, 2020
Joe Biden is the first Democratic presidential candidate in 20 years to be leading among seniors.
👉🏻 https://t.co/FYU2wB4FBU https://t.co/slKsGEfoiZ
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) October 14, 2020
Maybe not. May not be perceived as one might think at 1st glance.
Possibly targeted at them as they don’t see themselves in that picture even thought they live in a senior community.
In my experiences, these folks are apt to poke fun at each other on this very same premise.— Kel Dullahan (@KDullahan) October 14, 2020
Interesting effort by Trump to win back the senior vote that polls show he’s losing https://t.co/2aFEGGe3mR
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) October 14, 2020
When Donald Trump claims the election is “rigged” against him, what he’s actually saying is that he’s too damn stupid to win without Russia or some other country helping him.
Featured Image Via NBC News