Trump's televised 'petulance' is driving a key voting bloc away from the GOP amid the coronavirus pandemic: columnist

Writing in the Washington Post this Monday, columnist Karen Tumulty writes that when it comes to the reliable voting bloc of Americans who are 65 and older, President Trump is on shaky ground, thanks to his bungled response to the coronavirus.

Recent polling has shown a notable shift in support for Trump from America's senior citizens. According to Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, "Trump is blowing what had become an important Republican advantage."

Tumulty writes that this slip in support is also the fault of Republicans in general, who've been sending subtle messages to older Americans that their lives are not worth as much as a strong economy. Nevertheless, older Americans have been paying close attention to Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

"They are the group most attuned to television news, which means they are more likely than younger voters to have seen with their own eyes some of the more bizarre things Trump has done, such as entertaining the possibility that ingesting bleach could cure covid-19," Tumulty writes. "They know, though Trump denies it now, that he was initially dismissive of the dangers posed by the novel coronavirus. On a daily basis, they have seen his petulance and his blame-shifting, and heard his flat-out lies."

While it's unknown how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, one thing is for certain: "The age group most likely to suffer is also the one most likely to vote."

Read her full op-ed over at The Washington Post.