Trump has dealt seniors, who represent 23% of registered voters, 2 devastating blows in a matter of days

• President Donald Trump said Thursday he would block new funding for the US Postal Service because of mail-in voting, which he claimed benefits Democrats.
• Later in the day he walked the comment back, saying "if the bill isn't going to get done, it means the post office isn't going to get funded."
• Blocking USPS funding could negatively impact seniors who rely on the US Postal Service to deliver their medications.
• Trump also promised to scrap the payroll tax if he's reelected. The payroll tax funds Social Security and Medicaid, which seniors rely on.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he'd block new funding for the US Postal Service in coronavirus-aid talks to limit efforts to expand mail-in-voting, which he claims benefits Democrats, despite no evidence.

"Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," he said in an interview with Fox Business Network on Thursday morning. "But if they don't get those two items that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it."

Trump slightly walked these comments back at an evening press briefing, saying, "if the bill isn't going to get done, it means the post office isn't going to get funded."

But a lack of funding for the USPS doesn't just impact mail-in voting.

It also means that some senior citizens could have their prescriptions that are fulfilled by mail delayed.

This is the second blow Trump has dealt to seniors, who'll represent 23% of registered voters in November, in a matter of days.

According to the Pew Research Center, this year almost a quarter of voters will be 65 years old or older, which is the highest share since at least 1970.

ConnectingVets reported that 80% of the Department of Veterans Affairs prescriptions are fulfilled by mail. The outlet reported that almost 500,000 prescriptions are processed daily by the Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy.

In a survey published by the National Community Pharmacist Association, 20% of adults over 40 said they exclusively get their medication by mail order.

Earlier this week, Trump pledged that if he was re-elected for a second term he would scrap the payroll tax, Business Insider previously reported. The payroll tax is used to fund Social Security and Medicare.

"If I'm victorious on November 3rd, I plan to forgive these taxes and make permanent cuts to the payroll tax," Trump said at a press conference on Saturday. "I'm going to make them all permanent."

He later said: "In other words, I'll extend it beyond the end of the year and terminate the tax. So we'll see what happens."

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people over the age of 65 as well as for younger Americans with disabilities.

Additionally, 58% of retirees said Social Security was a "major source" of income for them, according to an April 2020 Gallup poll.