The Resistance Has Gray Hair

The right-wing ecosystem has found itself a new punching bag: older Americans.

In recent days, Republican elected leadership has tried to minimize widespread anti-Trump protests as being driven by “rhythm-less boomers” and “elderly white hippies.” Vice President JD Vance previously dismissed protesters at Washington’s Union Station as “a bunch of old, primarily white people.”

Their insults have been amplified by the hyperactive right-wing media echo chamber, with a Fox News host casting this weekend’s No Kings protests that drew more than 7 million Americans into the streets as just “a boomer thing.”

Putting aside the obvious irony of MAGA Republicans trying to paint old people as feeble and out of touch, it’s easy to recognize their tactics for what they are—an attempt to delegitimize grassroots power. But as misguided and tactless as these criticisms might be, they’re not totally wrong.

When JD Vance remarked that the seniors protesting him have “never felt danger in their entire lives,” he was ignoring the terrifying reality that American seniors are facing at the hands of his administration.

From No Kings protests to Hands Off marches to Republican town halls—time and again, it’s been seniors and retirees who are showing up, speaking out, and holding the Trump administration accountable. But older Americans aren’t protesting because it’s “our thing”—we’re protesting because it is our duty: to ourselves, to our country, and to future generations of Americans.

We remember what younger generations never experienced firsthand. Together, we’ve lived through wars, political upheaval, recessions, and recoveries. We fought for and won greater civil rights for Black Americans and women, invested in public health and scientific discoveries that saved millions of lives from deadly diseases like polio and measles, and built an economy that was the envy of the world. We’ve seen how collective action can transform our communities and government for the better—and we’ve watched with horror as the Trump administration has erased decades of progress in just nine short months.

We know that change doesn’t happen, it’s made—and while we’d love to spend a little less of our time making protest signs, we’re mobilizing, organizing, and showing up because there is no other choice. When JD Vance remarked that the seniors protesting him have “never felt danger in their entire lives,” he was ignoring the terrifying reality that American seniors are facing at the hands of his administration.

Donald Trump and congressional Republicans continue to wage attacks on the vital programs that seniors rely on, peddling conspiracies about retirement benefits while letting slip their plans to privatize Social Security, gut the hard-fought law that was delivering lower drug prices for Americans with Medicare, and slashing Medicaid for millions of Americans to fund tax breaks for the rich. So while JD Vance thinks our protests are a game, we’re mobilizing because our lives and the benefits we worked a lifetime to earn are under threat, and we refuse to sit by and watch.

But we’re not just showing up for ourselves. We’re fighting for the future, standing arm-in-arm with generations of Americans rising up together against the cruelty coming out of the White House. All around us, freedom is under attack and the Constitution is being trampled. And it’s not just our democracy being jeopardized. As the Trump administration continues to reject science and cut critical research funding, our health is being put at risk too. We refuse to let our kids and grandkids inherit a country with fewer freedoms, less economic mobility, and more disease. We won’t hand them a more fragile democracy than their grandparents had, and we’ll continue to stand in solidarity with every American speaking truth to power.

But our fight isn’t limited to protesting. In North Carolina, seniors showed up at the state house to oppose maps aimed at erasing Black voting power. In California, Alliance for Retired Americans members have made more than 216,000 calls in support of Proposition 50 so far. Across the country, seniors marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security by staging Silver Sit-Ins calling on GOP lawmakers to protect it. These aren’t isolated events. They’re drops in a powerful wave building nationwide.

Instead of minimizing and mocking us, Republicans should see us for what we are: a blaring alarm signaling what’s coming in 2026 and beyond. And if history is any guide, in 2026 we will turn out to vote at higher rates than any other age group.

So let them sneer. Let them poke fun at our age, our rhythm, and our hair. While they’re busy cracking jokes, we’re going to keep on registering voters, packing town halls, and building coalitions that will outlast the chaos of this administration.

If the resistance has gray hair, so be it. The future belongs to those willing to fight for it, and seniors are the vanguard.