Biden's age: Is Joe the oldest presidential candidate in history?
Biden may already be the oldest president in history – but he’s NOT the the oldest candidate: Here’s how the 80-year-old ranks among elderly White House contenders
Joe Biden is already the oldest sitting president in history.
In November he became the first person in his eighties to hold the Oval Office, and if he wins a second term he will be 86 by the time he leaves.
That’s nine years older than Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he completed his second term in 1989.
Questions about Biden’s age have been swirling in the build-up to the announcement on Tuesday that he will run for a second term, and they won’t subside as he his the campaign trail.
When Americans go to the ballot box for the election on November 5, 2024, he will be 81 and turn 82 just 15 days later.
Donald Trump, who is leading the field of Republican candidates, is 76. If both he and Biden succeed in winning their party’s nomination, it means that both people vying for the White House will have been born in the 1940s.
DailyMail.com has broken down how Biden’s age compares to that of his older predecessors when they were first inaugurated, and how he is only the fifth oldest American to run for president.
Joe Biden is already the oldest sitting president in history. In November he became the first person in his eighties to hold the Oval Office, and if he wins a second term he will be 86 by the time he leaves
The 10 oldest presidents in U.S. history
Joe Biden
President Joe Biden was 78 years old when he was inaugurated in January 2021, securing him the title of the oldest president in history.
He was born on November 20, 1942, when the U.S. was still involved in the Second World War.
On November 20, 2022, he became the first Oval Office holder to celebrate his 80th birthday by blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
Since then, questions about his age have persisted from his critics and some within his own party .
He will be 81 during the 2024 presidential election and will be 86 at the end of his second term, if he is victorious.
Donald Trump
Trump was 70 years old when he entered the Oval Office in 2017 after beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
If he wins a second term, he will be 78 and the second oldest president in history behind Biden.
His battle with COVID when he was in the White House sparked questions about his age and health, but the focus has been mainly on Biden in the last two years.
Trump was 70 years old when he entered the Oval Office in 2017 after beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. If he wins a second term, he will be 78 and the second oldest president in history behind Biden
Ronald Reagan
When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981 after beating Jimmy Carter, he was 69 years old.
He survived an assassination attempt in his first term and left office at the end of the second he was 77.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1994 and died in 2004 at the age of 94.
When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981 after beating Jimmy Carter, he was 69 years old. He survived an assassination attempt in his first term and left office at the end of the second he was 77
William Henry Harrison
Harrison was 68 years old when he was elected the ninth president in 1841.
Born in 1773, he would hold the title of the oldest president for 140 years until Reagan took the title.
Despite being the oldest, he also had the shortest presidency in history.
He died just 32 days into office from pneumonia. It’s believed he got a cold when speaking for two hours during the inauguration without wearing a coat or hat.
William Henry Harrison was 68 years old when he was elected the ninth president in 1841. He died just 32 days into office from pneumonia
James Buchanan
Buchannan had the nickname ‘Old Buck’ when he was elected president at 65 years old in 1857.
He was inaugurated just before the Civil War and promised not to seek a second term when he was succeeded by Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
George H.W. Bush
When Bush took office in 1989, he was 64 years old.
He was known to engage in risky and dangerous activities – including skydiving – up until his death at the age of 94 in 2018.
Zachary Taylor
Taylor, known as ‘Old Rough and Ready’ was 64 years old when he took office in 1849.
He died just over one year later after taking office in 1951.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was sworn into office at 62 years of age in 1953.
He stood tough against the Soviet Empire and established the ‘Eisenhower Doctrine,’ which helped U.S. allies request assistance against aggressor nations.
He was commander-in-chief for two terms, and left office at 70 years of age.
He was succeeded by JFK, the second-youngest president in American history to take office at the age of 43.
Andrew Jackson
Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was 61 years of age when he was inaugurated in 1829.
He was 69 at the end of his second term.
John Adams
Adams was 61 years old when he defeated Thomas Jefferson and took the presidency in 1796.
He and Jefferson both passed away on July 4, 1826 – the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The 10 oldest presidential candidates in history
Elizabeth Warren
In the 2020 presidential primary, Warren entered the Democratic race at the age of 70.
She also is the oldest female presidential candidate in history.
John McCain
McCain ran for president at the age of 72 in 2008 against Barack Obama. He was unsuccessful in securing the presidency and so he returned to the Senate.
He previously tried to clinch the 2000 GOP nomination, but lost to former President George W. Bush.
The former senator from Arizona passed away in 2018.
Bob Dole
Dole was 73 years of age when he became the GOP presidential nominee in 1996.
He had previously attempted to run in 1976, and was selected as Gerald Ford’s running mate. He also launched unsuccessful campaigns in 1980 and 1988.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan was 73 years old when he ran for reelection in 1984.
Donald Trump
Trump was 74 when he launched his failed reelection bid in 2020.
He is now 76 as he enters his third run for the presidency. He is expected to face off with Gov. Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and others as a crowded GOP field is starting to shape up.
Mike Bloomberg
Bloomberg briefly entered the 2020 race at the age of 78.
He was formally mayor of New York City and is a billionaire, so he self-funded his short bid.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders, one of the oldest sitting senators, was 78 when he ran as an Independent in 2020.
He dropped out earlier in the race despite a strong showing in the early Democratic primaries.
The Vermont Senator started his political career in 1981 when he as voted Mayor of Burlington, but already had a reputation as an activist.
He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent in 1988 and moved to the Senate in 2007.
Since then he has become the face of the progressive movement in the United States.
He ran for president for the first time in 2016, but also dropped out during the primaries.
Bernie Sanders, one of the oldest sitting senators, was 78 when he ran as an Independent in 2020. The Vermont Senator started his political career in 1981 when he as voted Mayor of Burlington, but already had a reputation as an activist
Joe Biden
Biden is one of the oldest-ever presidential candidates at 80 as he launches his reelection bid.
William Hope Harvey
Harvey had one year on Biden, at 81, when he ran for president in 1932 for the Liberty Party.
The lawyer, author and health resort founder was on the ballot in 10 states and got 53,000 votes to finish fifth overhaul.
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt ultimately beat incumbent, Republican Herbert Hoover by a staggering 472 to 59 electoral college votes.
Harvey died four years later at the age of 84.
William Hope Harvey had one year on Biden, at 81, when he ran for president in 1932 for the Liberty Party
Harold Stassen
Stassen takes the cake at 85 years old when he entered the race for president in 1992.
He had launched nine total campaigns, all unfruitful.
Harold Stassen takes the cake at 85 years old when he entered the race for president in 1992
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