US POLITICS
How old do you need to be to be President of the United States?
In November, the two oldest candidates to ever seek the office of president will go head to head. What is the youngest a person can be elected to this office?
One might meet several requirements to seek the office of President of the United States outlined in the Constitution. The requirements relate primarily to nationality and age. Under Clause 5 of Article II Section 1, which is titled “Function and Selection,” the constitution stipulates that “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”
This has led many constitutional scholars to believe that even a naturalized citizen could not hold the office of president if they had not been citizens over two hundred years ago when the Constitution was adopted. The second requirement is that in order to be eligible, the candidate has to “have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years” and “have been fourteen Years a Resident.”
How old are Joe Biden and Donald Trump?
Both parties seem to be putting their weight behind Presidnet Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to lead their respective tickets in November. President Biden was born on November 20, 1942, making him 81 years old. Former President Trump was born a few years later on 14 June 1946, making him 77 years old.
These are the oldest presidents in the history of the United States:
- Joe Biden: Born November 20, 1942, he became president at age 78.
- Donald Trump: Born June 14, 1946, he was 70 years and 220 days old when he took office as the 45th president in January 2017.
- Ronald Reagan: Born February 6, 1911, the 40th President was 69 years and 348 days old when he took office in 1980.
- William Henry Harrison: Born February 9, 1773, Harrison became the ninth president at 68 years and 23 days.
- James Buchanan: The 15th president, born April 23, 1791, was 65 years and 315 days old when he took office in 1857.
- George H. W. Bush: The 41st president, born June 12, 1924, was 64 years and 222 days old when he took office in 1989.
- Zachary Taylor: The 12th president, Zachary Taylor was 64 years and 100 days old when he took office.
- Dwight Eisenhower: At 62 years and 98 days old, Dwight Eisenhower was sworn in as the 34th president of the United States in 1953.
- Andrew Jackson: Born March 15, 1767, the seventh president of the United States was 61 years and 354 days old when he took office in 1829.
- John Adams: The second president of the country, born October 30, 1735, was 61 years and 125 days old when he won the office in 1796 by defeating Thomas Jefferson.
If President Biden is re-elected, he will be 86 years old on 20 January 2029 when a new president is sworn into office. If Donald Trump is elected in November, he would be 82 when the democratic transition of power is planned to take place.