By President Joe Biden became president at the age of 78, and in 2025 Donald Trump will be inaugurated for the second time at 78 years old, joining Biden in the record for the oldest inaugurated president.
Both presidents will turn 82 years old while in office, setting a new record for the oldest sitting U.S. president since Ronald Reagan when he ended his tenure at 77.
The recent geriatric nature of the presidency has promoted concerns from voters across the country. Will President Trump be physically healthy enough to complete his second term? Does his advanced age create a disconnect with a significant portion of the population he governs? And– perhaps most critically– is he mentally fit to rule for the duration of his second presidency?
It has become more imperative than ever to implement an age cap for the eligibility of a presidential candidate.
A study by the Pew Research Center in Oct. 2024 reported that 79% of Americans support a maximum age limit on elected government officials. This shows that many Americans are ready to have age restrictions on those who represent them.
Why hasn’t an age limit been implemented yet?
Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the United States Constitution outlines the requirements to become President of the United States: be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age and be a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Imposing an age restriction would necessitate the ratification of a constitutional amendment. The last time the United States ratified an amendment was more than 24 years ago in 1992.
The reason for this stretch without a new amendment is the same reason age restrictions have not been implemented: the process of amending the Constitution is extensively demanding.
The requirements are a consensus two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, or two-thirds of the states can petition Congress to call a constitutional convention. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or three-fourths of conventions called in each state to ratify the amendment.
While not impossible, it is still a tall ask for governing officials to make the call.
Unfit to govern
It has been well-documented that the health of several past presidents was unfit to effectively continue their role as commander-in-chief.
Woodrow Wilson was bedridden for the last year and a half of his presidency due to a stroke at the age of 63. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was plagued by Polio and heart issues throughout his entire presidency. Ronald Reagan was rumored to have Alzheimer’s during his presidency but was not officially diagnosed until 1994.
Most recently, President Joe Biden’s mental acuity was frequently put into question during his presidency. In a poll done by NBC News in 2024 before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, 76% of voters expressed concern about Biden’s age.
A physically unfit leader as U.S. President puts into question the credibility of the office and eroded trust from the American people.
In addition to health issues, electing an older individual as president causes a disconnect between the younger generations, particularly as generational gaps in perspectives and ideology widen.
Following former President George H.W. Bush was a stretch of four consecutive presidents born in the “Baby Boomer” generation, with three of them being born in the same year. President Biden belongs to the “Silent Generation,” born before the Baby Boom era (1928-1945).
There are currently at least six generations of people alive in the United States: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Of these, two of those generations have seen a representative from their demographic become President of the United States.
This age divide between the president and the population they govern causes a disconnect, leaving out the perspectives of younger generations and the ability to relate to many Americans.
Establishing an age restriction for the presidency would allow a broad range of generations to bring attention to issues that might otherwise be glanced over and bring back a level of confidence in the competence of the presidency.
