How old is too old to be president? Senior Arizonans split on Trump and Biden’s ages
By Sabine Martin
Published on June 14, 2024
Roman Ulman, who lives in east Mesa, regularly talks to his 21-year-old grandson about politics.
The debate that frequently comes up: the ages of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
“He’s got an issue about the age,” Ulman, 81, said. “And I said, ‘I’m actually older than Biden. Do you think that I’m mentally incompetent?’ And he said, ‘No, no, you’re very smart.’ That’s the only thing that’s important.”
Biden, who turns 82 after the Nov. 5 election, and Trump, who turns 78 on Friday, are the oldest candidates to ever run for president. Former President Ronald Reagan previously was the oldest presidential candidate to run for office in his late 70s.
Nearly 60% of Democratic and independent voters say Biden’s age won’t factor into their decision to vote for him, a 2023 USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll revealed. However, 40% of Democrats and independents said it could change their vote for Biden.
Some experts say there’s a reason why candidates on the presidential ballots are getting older.
James Curry, a University of Utah political science professor, said people are living longer and breaking into politics later in life.
“It hadn’t happened overnight, right? We saw this when people discussed (2012 GOP nominee) Mitt Romney as potentially too old, and then people discussed (2016 Democratic nominee) Hillary Clinton as potentially too old,” Curry said.
The late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also faced the age question when he ran for president in 2008, the year he turned 72. In response, McCain took his mother, who turned 96 in 2008, with him on the campaign trail. Roberta McCain outlived her son, dying in 2020 at age 108.
Even though the increasing number of older politicians in office hasn’t been immediate, both Democrats and Republican voters are prioritizing the issue of a candidate’s physical and mental health this election, an NBC News poll found in February.
Voters are more satisfied with the government when they see their age, race and ethnicity, or identity reflected in the people in the office, Curry said.
“It gives people this, this greater sense of political efficacy and confidence and faith in the system when they see people like them,” he said. “And right now, if you’re younger, at least with the presidential race, you definitely do not.”
What do older Arizonans think about Biden and Trump’s ages?
Randy Blum, 74, a longtime Trump supporter who lives part of the year in Sun City said he would love to see younger candidates running for president, but Trump’s high energy cancels out his old age.
“I think they’re already talking about mandatory age restrictions. I know there already is for pilots and for a lot of jobs for the presidency. I don’t know if it should be (for president). This certainly brings up that fact,” Blum said.
An AARP poll released Wednesday found that Arizonans over 50 favor Trump over Biden by eight percentage points.
Therese Watts, 71, a Democrat from Sun City, said there should be age limits on U.S. presidents and U.S. Supreme Court justices.
“I personally don’t understand why someone 82 years old would want to be president. It’s such a hard job,” said Watts, who plans to vote for Biden.
Watts’ concerns for the choices for president go beyond her generation. She is worried for younger voters such as her 18-year-old granddaughter who doesn’t relate to Trump or Biden because they are too old.
“I think the thing about Biden that makes me a little more comfortable is he does surround himself with very capable and smart people to help advise him,” she said.
Christina Shelley, a Democrat from east Mesa, said she sees some physical aging in Biden, but he speaks with certainty at public events.
“As far as aging and physical fitness, I don’t think either one of them has the market on physical fitness,” she said. “There’s so much to consider. You can’t break it down to just age.”
As an independent who plans to vote for Trump in November, Dave Best, 78, a Sun City resident, said age doesn’t matter, but politicians such as Biden should have to prove their cognitive ability to run for office.
He said older politicians use to be revered for their experience and wisdom.
“I just think that maybe things have gotten skewed here a little bit in terms of what’s the purpose of being there for the benefit of the country and for every American citizen, or is it for the benefit of reelection?”
Is setting a maximum term or age limits a solution?
There are pros and cons to setting age and term limits, but it is a main proposed change to get younger politicians in office.
Curry said the representation of women in government could dwindle if age limits are set.
“ … Women tend to start their political careers later, after their children have grown up and moved out of the house,” he said. “Men are less likely to wait for their children to grow up before they run for office.”
Most Americans support maximum age limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices and elected officials in Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center.
It’s ultimately up to voters to choose younger candidates if there are no age or term limits, Curry said.
“You need them to support candidates for office who are younger,” he said. “And it seems as much as people talk about how they don’t like that people are old, they then will turn around and support older candidates.”
This piece was republished from AZ Central.