Biden's Sandbag Fall, Trump's Cheeseburger Diet: The Two Oldest Presidents In History Bring Issue Of Age To 2024 Campaign Trail

With President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as their political parties' favorites for the 2024 election, the issue of age is becoming a focal cause of concern amongst government officials and the U.S. electorate.

According to a recent Ipsos poll, 53% of those surveyed said that Trump was "too old to work in government," with 73% saying the same for Biden.

Biden And Trump In Numbers

When Biden took the presidency in 2021 he became, by far, the oldest U.S. president in history. His predecessor Trump ranked second. An election of either of them would break a new record.

When Biden took office on Jan. 20, 2021, he was 78 years old. If he were to start a second term (presidential terms are four years), he'd be 82 at the time of his inauguration, finishing it at 86.

Before Trump, no president had ever been above the age of 70 when beginning their terms. Billionaire magnate and Tesla TSLA CEO Elon Musk recently proposed that an age limit of 70 should be set for presidents.

Donald Trump began his presidential term in 2017 at 70 years old. If he were to be reelected, his 2025 term would make him 78 and seven months at his inauguration, breaking Biden's records by a few months.

While presidents have historically been given power in the latter half of their lives, the median U.S. president has been 55 at their inauguration. Recent history has some examples of presidents on the younger side: Clinton was 46 and Obama was 47 at the time of their respective inaugurations. 

Is Age Really An Issue?

The average American now lives 11 years more than in 1950, according to a Harvard study, and it's reasonable to think that that shift could impact the age at which presidents can begin their term.

But while human life span has increased in the U.S., specific worries about the age of the 2024 candidates — and especially Biden's — now plague the minds of supporters and critics of both parties.

While sources close to the President consistently affirm that he's fit to rule, his age has become a main topic in press coverage and social media. For Trump, old age might not be as concerning as a lack of healthy eating habits.

Biden has consistently made headlines throughout his presidency for showcasing signs of old age. Since becoming president two-and-a-half years ago he has fallen down publicly seven times, with an eight reportedly in the shower at home. 

Just last week, the president fell after tripping over a sandbag when concluding a speech at the Air Force Academy.

Falls are a major cause of injury for people of old age. According to the National Institutes of Health, the reasons for increased falling during old age are related to eyesight, hearing and reflexes not being as sharp as they were when younger.

"Certain conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or problems with your thyroid, nerves, feet, or blood vessels can affect your balance and lead to a fall," writes the NIH.

While Trump is bidding for his candidacy against a plethora of Republican contestants, Biden's bid has been backed almost unanimously amongst high-ranking members of the Democrat party, in an effort to show cohesion and control over the party's internal disputes.

Democrats have consistently touted the president's good health in spite of his age in various public statements, reported the New York Times. While the subjective analysis of those close to the president weighs on the electorate's opinion, these statements could very well be an effort to support the candidate that the party believes has the most possibility of winning the next election, regardless of the veracity of the statements themselves.

From a political perspective, if Biden is indeed the best candidate for the Democrats, having the party win the executive power for the 2025-2029 term would be more important than offering an honest assessment of the president's capacities, as he could be replaced by the vice-president in the case of a loss in his faculties.

Last month Biden referred to his age, saying that he respects people "taking a hard look at it," and that even he "took a hard look at it" before deciding to run. 

Last week, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who supports Biden for reelection, said that "His age is an issue and people have every right to consider it."

Former Sen. Ted Kaufman, who's a longtime adviser to Biden said to the New York Times, "The reason this is an issue is primarily because of the media talking about it constantly," stating he doesn’t see the president’s age as a problem in his dealings with him. 

A recent NBC poll from last month said, "70% of all Americans — including 51% of Democrats — believe [Biden] should not run for a second term," and half of those quoted his age as a "major" reason.

For Trump, the issue of his age doesn't come up as often, and this could be explained in part by his personality, which doesn't show as much softening in contrast to previous years as Biden's has. Still, a review of Trump's on-air interviews and speeches conducted by Stat concluded that his speech and vocabulary have deteriorated in recent years.

Furthermore, while Biden reportedly exercises every day and stays off alcohol, Trump's diet during his presidency consisted of cheeseburgers and steak, he did not exercise and his weight was above the medical line for obesity.

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