Is Donald Trump setting up to blame older voters if he loses the presidential election to Kamala Harris in November? At a rally in Tucson, Arizona, on Thursday, the former president suggested as much when he commented on the changing demographics of his supporters and pondered aloud whether that shift could be a factor in a potential defeat on Election Day. report from The Daily Beast.
“We have a lot of young people here,” Trump noted, drawing attention to the youthful faces in the crowd. “My audiences, they’ve gotten younger and younger, do you notice that?” The crowd, filled with enthusiastic supporters, cheered as the 78-year-old former president soaked in the appreciation. However, rather than embracing this as a sign of his movement’s future appeal, Trump quickly reassured the audience that he still favored his older supporters.
“Don’t worry, I still like the old people the best, I don’t care!” he declared, pointing to the front rows of supporters, which sparked an even louder response from the crowd. Trump, growing more animated, continued, “I don’t care, let that cost—all these young people. Let that cost me the election. I like the—I still like the old people the best. Got to stay with the people that got you there, right?”
Trump’s remarks come against the backdrop of his solid support among older voters in the 2016 election, where he performed strongly among those aged 50 and older, as noted by exit polls analyzed by Pew Research. His comments suggest a preemptive attempt to position blame if he loses in November, seemingly pointing the finger at shifting support demographics.
The former president’s comments followed a widely criticized debate performance against Vice President Kamala Harris earlier in the week, where he struggled to make a compelling case and instead floated debunked conspiracy theories. Following the debate, Trump announced he would not participate in any further debates with Harris, a decision that sparked ridicule from Democrats, who labeled him a “chicken.”
At the Tucson rally, Trump defended his decision not to debate again, telling supporters, “And because they were successful, there will be no third debate.” Despite claiming victory in his previous debates, Trump’s actions suggested otherwise, as he continued to lash out at the debate moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, accusing ABC News of bias and declaring, “These two people are bad news.” told by Yahoo.
Trump’s rally in Tucson highlights his ongoing strategy of blaming others—whether it’s debate moderators, the media, or potentially even voters—if things don’t go his way in the election. As he rallies his base, it remains to be seen how these tactics will play out in the final stretch before Election Day.
