THE VILLAGES, FL - They skipped pickleball matches, softball practice and regular Friday card games, broke out their MAGA hats and “No Kings” signs, hopped into golf carts and fanned out across one of the largest senior communities in America to make their voices heard.
President Donald Trump was in town, and The Villages – a retirement mecca in Central Florida – was abuzz.
Thousands of Trump-loving seniors waited for hours to show their appreciation, packing into a school gymnasium for a boisterous rally where they cheered on the president as he promoted a tax break and other policies aimed at older Americans. Nearby, a smaller but also energetic crowd of a few hundred Villagers lined a roundabout with protest signs and colorfully decorated golf carts.
Trump and his party are in perilous political waters as polls show large majorities of voters dissatisfied with his handling of the economy and the Iran war. The president’s trip to The Villages – in a county where Republicans outnumber Democrats three to one – offered an opportunity to rally his base and speak to an important constituency of older voters who will be critical in the upcoming midterm election.
“I like everything about him,” said Jackie Williams, a 74-year-old retiree from New Jersey who voted for Trump three times and would do so again “if I could.”
