JTFactsMax

Too old to be President? Science says yes.

In an age where life expectancy is increasing, it's surprising that we Americans keep electing leaders who are that much older. Our presidents, Supreme Court justices, and cabinet members are all aging. As a result, our leadership is growing older. Yet, our political system protects the incumbent, making it more difficult to remove a sitting president. The trend is clear: more senior leaders make for better leadership, but it's also more difficult to replace them.

The first reason is apparent: a candidate's age.

Is there such a thing as being too old to be president? The Founders set a minimum age limit for the presidency to be 35 but did not specify a maximum age. Americans first questioned whether a candidate was too old for the world's highest office in 1840, with the candidacy of 67-year-old William Henry Harrison. He was 68 when he was inaugurated as the nation's ninth president. Barely a month later, a sudden bout of pneumonia ended his term – and his life.

It was 140 years before America elected an older man to the presidency – Ronald Reagan, who was inaugurated at 69 and was 77 when he left office. Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a few years later, but some believe he showed signs of the disease during his second term as president.

President Biden is 79 years old and would be 83 if he wins a second term at his inaugural. If he served the entire term, he would leave the office at 87. Former President Trump is 75, and should he run again and win, he would be 79 when sworn in and 83 by the end of his term. Most families are trying to figure out how to take their dad's or mom's car keys away from them at these ages. But, under the Constitution, we would be obliged to hand over the keys to the Oval Office, the world's most powerful and demanding office.

Shouldn't there be an age limit on who can run for president?

Our nation is a creaky machine, and the cogs show signs of age. For example, the average age of our members of Congress's leadership is now at an all-time high. Our house speaker Nancy Pelosi is 81, the Senate majority whip, and House majority leaders like Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Mitch McConnell are all over 75. These lawmakers are too old to be stepping aside. But we have no choice but to elect these people.

While the average age of our congress members is increasing, it's not keeping pace with our demographics. The average age of our congress members has grown to be twenty-seven years older than their constituents. We need to change the country's culture, which means changing our culture. Unfortunately, top leadership is also inherently more vulnerable to mental aging.

Most U.S. senators and House members are over sixty. That makes them the most likely candidates to be elected to higher office. Moreover, our Presidents are also older than their predecessors. The average life expectancy of white males was 76.4 years in 2017.

It's no wonder that the United States has an age of candidacy law that affects one-third of all adult citizens. This means that 74 million people between 18 and 35 do not have full political rights. This is an unfair situation that is detrimental to America's democracy. But we can't afford to wait until the aging population reaches seventy to elect a leader.