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What's behind President Trump's latest push to help older Americans?

He held another event at the White House aimed at seniors
Posted at 3:35 PM, Jun 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-15 17:35:24-04

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump again hosted an event aimed at older Americans at the White House Monday.

The new developments from the event? A $2 million grant from the Department of Justice was announced to help prevent older Americans from being scammed.

The president also touted $81 million for increased inspections of nursing homes.

Last month, Trump announced a new program to address the rising price of insulin by providing Medicare patients with new choices of Part D plans that offer the hormone at an affordable and predictable cost of no more than $35 for a month’s supply.

WHY THE PUSH FOR SENIORS?

Seniors are quickly emerging as a powerful voting block in the 2020 election.

In 2016, Trump's strongest voting block were voters 65 years of age and older. He also won among those between the ages of 45 and 64.

In recent months, seniors have been hit hardest by the coronavirus and internal polling, as reported in The New York Times,suggests the president may be losing support among older Americans.

Scripps' National Political Editor Joe St. George spoke with Trump Senior Advisor Kellyanne Conway about the sudden push.

"The forgotten man and forgotten woman, including the forgotten senior, is always important to President Trump," Conway said, brushing off criticism that this has anything to do with election year politics.

"He has really kept his commitment to seniors," Conway said, speaking to how Trump hasn't touched the social security program.