Washington, United States

For many, after reaching a certain age their birthday is just another day, but when you are the president of one the most powerful nations which is embroiled in two wars and running for reelection at the age of 80, it is anything but that. 

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The United States President Joe Biden turned 81, on Monday (Nov 20) and once again the age question for the incumbent who has sought to run the White House for four more years has overshadowed the birthday festivities. 

The incumbent Democrat was the oldest American president when he took the top job at the age of 78 and marked the milestone for being the only US president to be 80 while in office. 

American politics and age

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Time and time again American politics is faced with the question of ‘how old is too old to hold public office?’ Notably, while Biden was the oldest person to take office in 2021, his predecessor Donald Trump was 74 years old at the end of his presidency and is now the Republican frontrunner also once held that title. 

ALSO WATCH | As US President Joe Biden turns 81, voters show concern about his age in 2024 Presidential elections

To put their age into perspective, Biden was born in the year 1942, when the US was still involved in World War II and Trump (1946) was born the same year that the United Nations held its first meeting. 

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Republican Ronald Reagan, who held the previous prior record for the oldest US president, ended his second four-year term at age 77 in 1989.

But Trump and Biden are not even the oldest people running for elections. Former US House Speaker and Democrat Nancy Pelosi, earlier this year announced her re-election bid for next year is 83 years old. While the oldest sitting US Senator Republican Chuck Grassley, aged 90.

The term “gerontocracy” has now been increasingly used to describe the current situation in American politics, and rightly so. The term describes a government ruled by people who are significantly older than the country’s adult population. Sounds familiar?

Biden, who has been a public figure for half a century now, when he was first elected to the Senate in 1972, will be 86 at the end of his second term, if he gets one. 

Senate Minority and Republican party leader Mitch McConnell (81) is the longest-serving leader in the history of the Senate and has not even hinted at his plans to retire. 

ALSO READ | Majority of Americans concerned over Biden’s age and Trump’s lawsuits ahead of 2024 elections: Poll

Back in September, the long-debated question in American politics once again took centre stage after McConnell appeared to freeze for half a minute while answering reporter questions, after facing a similar episode in July. The incidents sparked renewed concerns about his health since he suffered from a concussion, in March.

American voters concerned about Biden’s age

Over the last few months, the incumbent president’s age among American voters has become what some reports have described as the single greatest concern. 

While Biden has repeatedly shrugged off and made jokes over concerns about his age and the White House insisting that he is healthy enough to serve as commander-in-chief, most voters are not convinced.

With the 2024 presidential elections less than a year away, the incumbent president’s age has become a sticking point for Biden and the Democrats. 

ALSO READ | Trump too old for re-election, but Biden more so: US poll

Earlier this month, a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey found that voters in seven swing states were more likely to associate old age with Biden than any other topic. The issue is also being used to target both Biden and Trump ahead of the elections. 

“So, I’ve said publicly, the presidency is not a job for an 80-year-old, that Donald Trump would actually be older on January 20, 2025, than Biden was on January 20, 2021,” said Florida Governor and Republican White House hopeful, Ron DeSantis, in an interview with CNN, on Sunday (Nov 19).

Biden, who is known for his gaffes, stumbles, and occasionally rambling answers during press conferences. Less than a week ago, Biden referred to his Vice President and second-in-command Kamala Harris as “President Harris”. 

“President Harris is here to make sure we do it the right way,” Biden said during his address at a White House event.

Meanwhile, a report by the Washington Post published on Sunday (Nov 19) said some of Biden’s top allies are scrambling to convince major donors and other Democrats whether they like it or not, that he is their best bet to defeat Republicans next year. 

A poll by NBC News, on Sunday, showed Trump for the first time surpassed Biden in a national general election poll with the former president taking a slim two per cent lead. This seems to have scared some donors. 

ALSO READ | Trump mocks Biden for gaffes, but makes the same 'senile' blunders. Kettle calling pot black?

“The bad news is that everybody is wetting the bed inside of Biden world,” one fundraiser told WaPo.

But it seems like Biden is not the only one under scrutiny for his age. Republican frontrunner Trump, in recent weeks, is also coming under sharper focus as he recently confused the Hungarian leader for the Turkish one, claimed that he defeated Barack Obama in the 2016 elections when he ran against Hillary Clinton, and warned that the world might be headed for a second, rather than a third, world war.

Biden’s plans for his birthday

The incumbent president’s birthday has once again turned an unwelcome spotlight on the fact that he is the oldest president in American history. “I know I’m 198 years old,” Biden had joked back in June. 

Unlike most former presidents who have thrown lavish parties for their birthdays, Biden plans to observe his milestone privately with family later this week in Nantucket, reported The New York Times. 

ALSO READ | This time, Biden takes 'age' bull by its horns. Here's what he said

But first, keeping up with the notably strange American tradition of presidential turkey pardons, ahead of Thanksgiving, Biden will spare the lives of turkeys Liberty and Bell weighing, 42.5 pounds and 42.1 pounds, respectively, on Monday (Nov 20). 

The US president and first lady Jill Biden also donned aprons and served Thanksgiving dinners to military personnel and their families on Sunday (Nov 19) in Norfolk, Virginia.

(With inputs from agencies)