ANALYSIS
President-elect Donald Trump should thank older voters for his victory on Nov. 4. But, that don't hold your breath for any words of gratitude.
In fact, older Americans may be among the first to feel the negative repercussions of Trump's administration. Republican leaders have announced their intention to make drastic cuts to the social safety net programs such as Social Security, Medicaid and Trump's continuing efforts to erase any vestiges of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said Dec. 4 that lawmakers suggested cuts may be coming to social welfare programs.“We’re going to have to have some hard decisions. We got to bring the Democrats in to talk about Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it, we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on,” McCormick told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.
During the recent campaign, Trump vowed he wouldn't touch Social Security in order to woo the votes of older Americans who depend on the program, sometimes the only income they receive. However, most Trump has been known lie.
Trump's promises don't prevent his emboldened extreme right supporters from trying to implement cuts and then pass them on the White House where Trump will likely sign them.
In 2022, the average annual Social Security income for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander men 65 years and older was $16,633, compared to $13,348 for women.
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), requested by House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan F. Boyle, found that Republican Social Security plans would result in steep benefit cuts for American workers while failing to extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund. CBO found that raising the retirement age to 69 — as proposed by the Republican Study Committee, the Heritage Foundation, and other Republican groups — would result in an average yearly benefit reduction of about 13% for those subject to the full cut.
“Social Security is a sacred promise that after a lifetime of hard work, Americans have earned the right to retire with dignity,” said Democrat Boyle. “This independent, nonpartisan report shows just how devastating Republican plans to rip away hard-earned Social Security benefits would be for American workers.
"Instead of saving Social Security by making the ultra-rich pay their fair share," said Boyle, "the GOP is hell-bent on gutting benefits for the middle class. Democrats will never stop fighting to keep the promise of Social Security and defend Americans’ retirement security from Republican attacks.”
A majority of 50-plus voters backed Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris last month, 52% to 47%, according to Associated Press' VoteCast.
While Democrats put their efforts in generating support from the younger GenZ voters, older Americans still made up a majority of the electorate. Older Americans historically have been the most reliable voter group in a presidential election in recent history, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to AP VoteCast, seniors made up 52% of the voters. Traditional exit polls put that number at 55%.
Middle-aged voters were especially influential in tilting the election to Trump. A commanding 56% of voters ages 50-64 cast ballots for Trump, with 43% voting for Harris, exit polls show. The candidates were tied at 49% among voters 65 and older. The two age groups together comprise well over half of the national electorate, meaning they provided the critical difference for the returning president-elect.
A majority of 50-plus voters backed Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris last month, 52% to 47%, according to Associated Press' VoteCast.
While Democrats put their efforts in generating support from the younger GenZ voters, older Americans still made up a majority of the electorate. Older Americans historically have been the most reliable voter group in a presidential election in recent history, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to AP VoteCast, seniors made up 52% of the voters. Traditional exit polls put that number at 55%.
Middle-aged voters were especially influential in tilting the election to Trump. A commanding 56% of voters ages 50-64 cast ballots for Trump, with 43% voting for Harris, exit polls show. The candidates were tied at 49% among voters 65 and older. The two age groups together comprise well over half of the national electorate, meaning they provided the critical difference for the returning president-elect.
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| Asian American voters for Donald Trump won the attention of mainstream media. |
However AANHPI voters went against the national trend, according to a survey conducted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice in partnership with other ethnic groups. Both men and women over 60 eyars of age voted almost 2-to-1 for Harris over Trump. Granted the percentage points is less than 2022 and 2020 when AANHP voters were almost 3-to-1 in favor of the Democratic candidates and issues, but a two-thirds majority ffrom older AAANHPI voters is still a landslide preference for the Democrats.
Despite the overwhelming support for Harris and Democratic issues among AANHPI votrers, in a classic case of "man-bites dog" news values, mainstream media chose to focus on the few voters who voted more conseratively with headlines like "Asian Americans shift to Republicans."
However Trump did indeed improved his overall performance among voters of all ethnicities who were 50 years to 64 years old by 4 percentage points from his previous presidential run in 2020, exit polling shows.
However Trump did indeed improved his overall performance among voters of all ethnicities who were 50 years to 64 years old by 4 percentage points from his previous presidential run in 2020, exit polling shows.
Interestingly, voters of age 65 and older preferred Harris. The Woodstock generation, which lived through the fight for civil rights, the birth of women's rights and saving the environment and were against the Vietnam War, apparently still maintained those progressive values. You got to love those Baby Boomers!
The CBO report also found that:
- Increasing the retirement age from 67 to 69 for all beneficiaries younger than age 59 today would lead to smaller lifetime benefits for all recipients.
- For workers currently in their 30s and 40s who are subject to the full retirement age increase, the average annual benefit cut would be 13%, or around $3,500 a year.
- Average lifetime Social Security benefits would be reduced by 8 percent for those subject to the full increase in the retirement age.
- Increasing the retirement age would push some beneficiaries to claim disability benefits, modestly increasing expenditures for that program.
- Though increasing the retirement age would reduce spending, it would not create enough savings to change the expected exhaustion date of the Social Security Trust Fund, which is projected to be unable to pay full benefits by the end of Fiscal Year 2034.
But if Republican discussions about cutting social security and Medicare gives any indication about the mindset of the incoming administration, there could be a huge wave of regret among older Americans who voted for Trump.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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