Trump's coronavirus remarks weigh on minds of senior voters

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s remarks at a campaign event in Ohio this week reverberated all the way to a sparkling waterfront in Florida, where senior citizens parsed his assessment of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said that COVID-19 was seriously affecting “virtually nobody” under the age of 18 and sought to frame the pandemic as largely impacting older Americans, as he argued for school districts to resume in-person learning.

“Now we know it affects elderly people with heart problems and other problems,” Trump said. “If they have other problems, that’s what it really affects. That’s it.”

Florida, where 34 percent of the population is over the age of 55, is a potential swing state for Trump’s re-election campaign. Democratic challenger Joe Biden has made some inroads among older voters here, according to recent polls, but the coronavirus could affect the race in profound ways.

Trump’s recent remarks made Liz Cillo, a 72-year-old retiree from St. Petersburg, laugh bitterly. “We’re dispensable. We’re old. I feel as though he’s never showed any empathy or compassion toward us.”

Unlike in previous years, those who study voting patterns and elderly affairs issues say new trends appear to be unfolding this year. Jeff Johnson, the state director for the Florida AARP, says that among voters who are over 65, this year’s presidential race seems to be more “in play” than in years past.

“The best we can tell, it seems to be driven by coronavirus,” he said.

Which makes sense, he added. States like Florida have been hit hard by the pandemic, and no other demographic has been affected more than older folks. About 93 percent of Florida's 13,600 deaths from the virus have been people 55 and older. On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, lifted all...