Is Donald Trump gearing up to blame old folks if he loses the presidential election to Kamala Harris in November?
It sure sounded that way Thursday at a rally held by the former president in Tucson, Arizona, where he took note of the changing demographic of his supporters and wondered aloud if they will be to blame if he’s defeated on Election Day.
“We have a lot of young people here,” Trump said. “My audiences, they’ve gotten younger and younger, do you notice that?”
The crowd cheered as the 78-year-old former president basked in their appreciation. But rather than embracing their support and using it as a reason to emphasize his movement as a political movement focused on the future, he pivoted to reassuring the audience that he hadn’t changed one bit.
“Don’t worry, I still like the old people the best, I don’t care!” he exclaimed, pointing at the supporters directly in front of him.
Trump greets a group of supporters before holding a rally in Arizona.
Mike Blake
The audience roared even louder than before. Trump grew even more animated.
“I don’t care, let that cost—all these young people,” he said, gesturing to another section of the crowd. “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?”
Indeed, the people who sent him to the White House in 2016 were older, according to an examination of exit polling from his election victory over Hillary Clinton performed by Pew Research. He fared well among 50- to 64-year-old voters at that time, and even better with those aged 65 and older.
The crowd looks on as Donald Trump discusses an anti-immigrant conspiracy theory involving Haitian migrants stealing and eating people’s pets.
Reuters/Mike Blake
Trump’s hint that he’s already gunning to blame young folks if he loses in November followed the former president’s widely criticized debate performance Tuesday night, when floated bizarre debunked conspiracies and failed to hit a home run, much less get on base.
Trump announced earlier Thursday that he declined to debate Harris again, sparking widespread outrage and ridicule from Democrats who called him a “chicken.” He told supporters at his Tucson rally that he was turning down a rematch because he’s already done two—one against Joe Biden, which he won on a mercy rule, and one against Harris, who arguably pitched a shutout.
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona.
Reuters/Mike Blake
“And because they were successful, there will be no third debate,” he said as the crowd cheered.
But his actions suggested otherwise. He has slammed the debate’s moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, and blamed ABC News for bias against him. He suggested the network “has taken a big hit, because these two people are bad news.”
Get the Daily Beast’s biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.
Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast’s unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.