One Senior’s Reflection on the Election

November 2024

By Richard Fleming

Photo courtesy of Unseen Histories

I originally aimed to write a post on what a world without young people would look like, but decided it would be more important to offer a few thoughts on our recent presidential election. The post about young people will appear soon.

The results of this election pose challenges to everyone in our country, including the silver-haired generation. Why did Trump win, what may be ahead for seniors, and what can we do? I offer a few thoughts as an old guy who has been around the block a few times over seven decades. I know other seniors have different understandings of what just happened and what is ahead. My perspective is mine alone and I welcome other views.

I will start out acknowledging it is easy to get discouraged by this election. But old folks have shorter horizons than younger people, so we don’t have time to mope. We’ve lived through bad presidencies before. We know how to survive them and how to move forward. We need to buckle up and get ready for the challenges ahead.

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Why did Trump win? There will be extensive analyses of this question in the years ahead, but it was clearly due to multiple factors, not just one or two. New data will emerge to help our understanding and I don’t want to attempt an analysis here. But a notable point the media seems to be understating or late in communicating is that Trump did not win by a landslide. Although votes are still being counted, Trump’s popular vote count this year will be about 3% higher than he received in 2020, but 6% below Biden’s vote total in 2020. While Trump made gains in a number of demographic groups, these were relatively small. Trump won because Harris received 7 million fewer votes than Biden got in 2020. Democratic-leaning voters were not motivated to turn out. Trump won less than 50% of the votes cast in 2024. This is not a popular mandate for Trumpism.

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What lies ahead for seniors? While everyone in the country will be affected in various ways, I want to focus on potential problems the Trump administration may create for those of us trying to live out our golden years with peace and stability. Of course it is impossible to know with certainty what is to come. But based on Trump’s words, his early appointments, and his track record, the following  problems are clearly within the realm of possibility.

Social Security. Trump and the GOP have repeatedly signaled their readiness to weaken Social Security (SS). They talk about raising the retirement age for benefit eligibility, even though longevity in the U.S. is declining. Trump’s promise to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits may sound attractive, but it would weaken the SS Trust Fund. And if the budget deficit balloons under Trump, as many economists predict will happen, political pressure will increase to reduce government spending. And all safety net programs will be in the crosshairs.

Medicare and Medicaid. Trump and his backers feel government health insurance programs are too expensive and would be more efficient if they were turned over to private businesses. But health care cannot be provided effectively, equitably, and humanely if it is delivered by profit-making groups. Medicaid is especially disliked by Trump because he feels its beneficiaries are not really deserving.

Health insurance. Obamacare is squarely in the bullseye for the Trump administration. Trump wants to withdraw government support for this program and allow insurance companies to charge more for people with pre-existing conditions. Old age is by definition a pre-existing condition, so our health insurance will likely become more costly and with fewer benefits. Also, Trump’s policies will likely lead to higher drug prices, even though Americans already pay more for prescription medications than is the case in any other country.

Public health. Trump is committed to reducing and deregulating proven health safety measures. If another catastrophic pandemic breaks out in the coming four years, Trump will oppose mask and vaccine mandates. Seniors may end up being sacrificed on the altar of libertarian freedom. If RFK, Jr., is allowed to “go wild” on the FDA, CDC, HHS, and other agencies overseeing public health, seniors will end up in a dark creek without paddles. Looking at RFK, Jr.’s intentions, one saving grace for old folks is that we won’t be hurt if he removes fluoride from drinking water, since our teeth are already shot.

Inflation. According to most experienced economists, Trump’s tariffs will lead to higher costs on all imported products. Most seniors are on fixed income, and higher prices are the last thing we need.

Undocumented immigrants. Trumps’ vow to deport undocumented immigrants will be devastating to millions of hardworking taxpaying people who came to the U.S. for a better life. Many have lived in the U.S. for decades and have established deep roots in many communities. The people Trump wants to target support seniors in myriad ways, from caregiving, to food production, to service work, and other realms. The main damage from Trump’s policy will be to the immigrants themselves. But seniors will suffer as well.

The above just touches on what could await us Boomers and the Silent Generation in the years ahead.

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What can we do? Much has been made of the fact the guardrails which held Trump in check last time are now gone. While this is true as far as his appointees, the American people can serve as the ultimate guardrails. We can resist the anti-democratic, unconstitutional, corrupt policies he hopes to implement.

And seniors can be among the country’s strongest guard rails. Just because our stamina is slipping and we need to see our doctors more frequently does not mean we cannot write letters, make phone calls, attend public meetings, show up in officials’ offices, support pro-democracy organizations, and march in peaceful protests.

When seniors stand up for democracy, we are blessed with superpowers which can make our efforts surprisingly effective. Our graying hair, slower gait, and raspy voices afford us a special air of gravitas and a mantle of legitimacy. And we are motivated by self-interest. We have a special responsibility to challenge Trump, since he comes from our generation. We cannot allow our legacy to future generations to include Trump changing our country into a place we no longer recognize.

Of course, old folks cannot do this alone. We need to work with Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z. Younger folks have more strength, stamina, and creativity than us old codgers. By working together, our efforts will be more successful.

As of November 5, 2024, we seniors have a new item added to our bucket list – serving as the ultimate guardrails against what Trump intends. Some of us can do more, and some can only do less. But every action we old folks take, whether big or small, will be a powerful statement for our generation’s values.

(Note: this post was updated November 24, 2024, to more accurately present the votes counted since the post was initially published.)

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