Gamble said he planned to support Trump in the election anyway, describing Biden as too old and too committed to China-related issues. But Gamble, who said he has a “serious lung problem,” expressed hope that Trump will change his approach to the pandemic.
“We can’t blame him for this: how many presidents could really do better than he has?” Gamble said, before adding: “I just wish it didn’t let the country open up as much as it has. I see all these teenagers and young people on the beach, and I fear for them because now they are getting sick. “
In Tucson, Gerald Lankin, a more outspoken supporter of Trump, said he would endorse the president primarily as a vote “against Democrats.” Lankin, 77, said he viewed Trump’s personal treatment as offensive, but agreed with him on most issues and viewed Democrats as “too much, too much, too much to the left.”
“He really hasn’t done anything I can say I’m against,” Lankin said of Trump. “I think what he is doing is the best he can. But, boy, is it hard to bear. He’s a tough guy to drink. “
There may be time for Trump to regain his footing with seniors, along with several other right-wing groups that have drifted apart during the darkest months of his presidency. His ability to do so could have far-reaching implications not only for his chances of winning a second term, but also for his party’s ability to maintain control in the Senate.
At the moment, Trump’s unpopularity with older voters appears to be hampering other Republicans in states like Arizona and Michigan.
Gayle Craven, 80, of High Point, North Carolina, said that although she was a registered Republican, she had not voted for Trump in 2016 and would reject him again this year. She said she saw Mr. Biden as an “honest man”.
