President Donald Trump on Tuesday night mocked the elderly and disabled when he shared a meme that appeared to show his Democratic opponent Joe Biden Photoshopped in a wheelchair inside at what looks like a nursing home.
Trump’s portrayal of Biden as old and disabled comes as the two candidates fight to secure support from elderly voters, especially in battleground Florida where both candidates have campaigned this week. Trump carried the demographic in 2016, but recent polling shows Biden has narrowed that margin and might have a slight edge, per the Washington Post.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2020
Trump’s support among the senior voters has likely softened at least in part due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic which has killed older Americans at a higher rate than any other age group. But the President has also offered conflicting messages on whether or not he will use a second term to advocate for seniors.
Last week, Trump tweeted out a video where he makes a shout out to seniors calling them “my favorite people in the world!”
The Post pointed out that video clip was a sharp contrast from Tuesday night’s meme making light of Biden’s age which has been a central narrative in the President’s attack of Biden, 77, who is three years his senior.
Trump, who was recently cleared by the White House physician to resume public engagements after he was hospitalized for coronavirus has repeatedly sought to paint himself as invincible amid his diagnosis, even though he is 74 and overweight, two factors that have likely complicated his recovery.
Seeking to expand his appeal among older voters, Biden addressed residents at a senior center in Florida on Tuesday, arguing that Trump has failed the nation’s senior citizens.
“You’re expendable. You’re forgettable. You’re virtually nobody. That’s how he sees seniors,” Biden told a crowd of senior voters on Tuesday. “The only senior that Donald Trump cares about — the only senior — is the senior Donald Trump.”
