Democrats flipped the script on former President Donald Trump when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Biden is no longer the oldest candidate to ever run for president — that honor now belongs to Trump.
Still, most young, conservative and largely Christian voters who attended the Believers’ Summit at the Palm Beach Convention Center Friday night said they are firmly behind Trump, even if his age, 78, raises some doubts.
Trump was the keynote speaker at the conference, held by the right-wing group Turning Point USA, where he sharpened his attack on now-presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. The Republican presidential nominee spoke at the event hours after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a short distance from Mar-a-Lago.
There’s some hesitation about Trump’s age, but overwhelming support at Turning Point USA event
“There is hesitation, but not enough to not vote,” said Landon Coggins, 21, of Daytona Beach. “I’ve talked to a lot of younger people about a potential younger candidate in the future.”
He said he and his friends have found the past two weeks troubling, starting with the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania, the Republican National Convention, Biden dropping out and Democrats rallying around Harris.
“I think it’s encouraging how Donald Trump has remained steadfast, even though it’s uncharted territory,” he said.
Coggins said he hasn’t wavered from his support for Trump. However, a new Axio/Generation Lab poll showed Harris consolidating the youth vote, 60% to 40% — a seven-point improvement over Biden.
Trump was in his element at the Turning Point conference held in his Palm Beach backyard. He was in good spirits and spoke for about 70 minutes, cracking jokes and making his usual claims — such as those about postpartum abortion — that Democrats and reproductive rights advocates say are false and disinformation.
Evangelicals have been the bedrock of his political support since his first presidential campaign in 2016. He has appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and overturned Roe v. Wade.
“I will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our workplaces, in our hospitals and in our public squares,” Trump told the adoring crowd.
But Justin Cyrenne, 19, of Chicago, says Trump’s age remains a major concern for him.
“I actually think a lot of his messaging lately, I’ve noticed, doesn’t really resonate with the youth,” Cyrenne said. “Trump is very popular with the Boomers, with people in the older generations. But I still think he’s going to win.”
Turning Point Participant: ‘Have You Seen His Golf Game?’
Morgonn McMichael’s job at Turning Point is to mobilize the voices of young people.
“I’m not personally concerned about Donald Trump’s age,” said McMichael, 24, of Phoenix. “We’re seeing a huge shift in younger voters, 18 to 24, who are leaning more conservative. High school boys are leaning more conservative, and these are numbers that are showing up in the polls that we haven’t seen before.”
According to McMichael, for many Gen Z voters who are voting for the first time, the economy is the most important issue.
“Right now, they’re graduating from college. They can’t find a job, they can’t afford to have their own apartment in the cities that they want to live in. They can’t really afford gas, groceries, they can’t afford to buy a house,” she said.
For other young voters at the convention, conservative issues were far more important than concerns about Trump’s age.
Jayla Zimmerman, 31, of Fort Worth, Texas, said she believes Trump can instill Christian values in schools. Jared Stanton, 25, of Wellington, said his top issues are banning abortion and ending gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Others interviewed said they did not know Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, the ambitious Ohio candidate who would become president if anything happened to Trump.
Trump did not mention Vance in his speech.
Zimmerman’s wife, Kendyl, 26, said she had no problem with Trump’s age. “Did you see the video of him playing golf?” she asked.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: At Turning Point USA, conservative youth aren’t worried about Trump’s age
