Florida retirees more worried about stock market than coronavirus

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The Villages is a sprawling retirement community, one of many that dot the state of Florida and lure older Americans looking for warm weather and pickleball.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) CAROLYN CARVER, A 76-YEAR-OLD SUPPORTER OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FROM FLORIDA, SAYING:

"I voted for Trump because I strongly believe in him."

Many residents, such as 76-year-old Carolyn Carver, are white, over the age of 60, and are staunch supporters of President Donald Trump.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) CAROLYN CARVER, A 76-YEAR-OLD SUPPORTER OF U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FROM FLORIDA, SAYING:

"I think he's the strongest president we'll ever have, have had. And I just really believe in him and I love what he's doing."

But the coronavirus has them worried.

Not so much about their physical health - as you can see, they seem to be ignoring warnings about gathering in public - but about their financial well-being.

On Monday, the Dow Jones plunged more than 2000 points on fears about the widening pandemic.

Some, such as 88-year-old John Carver, say President Trump's political enemies are to blame for the market panic.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN, 88-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND OF CAROLYN CARVER

"The government, you know, it annoys me that the only thing that the cult of Pelosi and her crowd can do, and CNN is another one, they can never find the positive of what he does now. They can only find the negativity."

But Republicans worry a recession could drag Trump down in Florida, which has a huge elderly population that is heavily dependent on fixed incomes and investments.

Florida is the largest of America's swing-states. It went narrowly for Trump in 2016. Data show one in five Florida voters that year were 65 years or older.

And if markets continue to drop, Trump's political problems could extend beyond Florida.

A leading Wall Street research firm, Moody's Analytics, on Monday said its forecasting model suggests Trump was in danger of losing the November election.

It based that forecast on approval polls and performance of the S&P 500 stock index.