Presidential Age
David Lawler at Axios:
Vice President Kamala Harris turns 60 on Sunday, though she might not have much time to celebrate with just 16 days until Election Day.
The big picture: Harris is older than the median age of a U.S. president (55) at inauguration. But she's a political generation younger than President Biden (81) and her opponent, former President Trump (78), who would surpass Biden to become the oldest person ever elected.Age took on an outsized role in the 2024 race when Biden was on the ticket, as many voters felt he was too old to be president.
More recently, Trump's age and acuity have been under scrutiny.
By the numbers: Trump and Biden have bent the presidential age curve upward (see chart). Just 12 presidents have taken office in their 60s or 70s.
Prior to Trump, Ronald Reagan (69) was the oldest president elected for the first time. He was 77 when he left office after two terms, still a year younger than Trump is now.
- The youngest presidents ever elected were Teddy Roosevelt (42) and John F. Kennedy (43). Since Kennedy, the youngest were Barack Obama (47) and Bill Clinton (46).
- Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, is the longest-lived president ever, at 100. He cast a mail-in ballot for Harris on Wednesday.