Donald Trump may take the oath of office on Monday, becoming the oldest person to do so, but worries about his il-advantages haven’t sunk him as much as they did President Joe Biden.
Biden wore a 78-year ring to the opening in 2021. The president-elect will also be 78 when sworn in for his next word, but his June day ends out Biden’s in November by only four months.
Due to his decision to leave the 2024 race next summer, Biden’s advancing years and deteriorating mental faculties were common problems. Following Biden’s disappointing performance in the political debate and the discovery that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Navy Parkinson’s professional, had made eight separate trips to the White House in 2024, those conversations simply gained steam.
In the final days of the cycle, Trump did seem to have been fatigued, with verbal outbursts and a ridiculous town house that turned into an impromptu dance party. However, Kamala Harris ‘ plan failed to capitalize on those events and cast doubt on Trump’s suitability.
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Republican primary opponent Nikki Haley, who had a hard stance against Trump after he confused her with former house speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA ), was the object of the 2024 campaign’s sharpest criticism.
Before Biden’s departure, Haley asked citizens if they “really want to go into an vote with two boys that are going to become president in their 80s”?
YouGov polls revealed that 44 % of Americans thought Trump was too old to be president, up from 35 % in February of that year. YouGov‘s poll found those who answered the same about Biden grew from 63 % to 70 % across the same timeframe.
Democratic managers, and three coming Trump administration officials, discounted the idea that time does play a factor during the president-elect’s second term in office.
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One Democratic strategist told the Washington Examiner,” President Trump is no hiding in the basement, winning membership golf championships, and speaking at hundreds of events annually.” ” British citizens aren’t ridiculous. Does President Trump still exist as of this writing than he did eight years ago? Of course, but when you compare him to Joe Biden, he seems like a unique types”.
In a speech, incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that” President Trump has more power and more strength than people in politics” and that he is the” smart head this country has ever seen.”
The President-elect wants to work with one of history’s youngest Cabinets, which is also beneficial. Vice President-elect J. D. Vance turned 40 during the campaign and will be the first-ever millennial to hold the nation’s second-highest elected office. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s 27-year-old White House press secretary, will be the youngest person ever to hold that position.
An analysis from Axios found that the average age of Trump’s vice president, White House chief of staff, and nominees for Attorney General, Defense Secretary, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Treasury, will be just 54.1 years on Inauguration Day. Since former President George H. W. Bush took the oath of office, that is the lowest age on average for the top six Cabinet positions. For comparison, the average age of Biden’s top six Cabinet members on January 20, 2021, was 63.7.
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Still, Biden’s precipitous physical decline over the past few years, coupled with Trump’s family history, suggests that a change in Trump could occur just as quickly in the White House.
Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was diagnosed with dementia in his 80s before he died in 1999 at the age of 93. A year later, Trump’s mother died at the age of 88 without any known medical history of dementia. Trump’s genetic history and age would make him more susceptible to cognitive decline, but those factors do not guarantee that he would develop the disease.
Meanwhile, a New York Times audit found that Trump’s 2024 campaign speeches were much longer, more repetitive, and more negative than 2016, suggesting signs of potential mental decline. Trump’s 2024 stump speeches averaged 82 minutes, compared to 45 in 2016. His use of absolutes, like “never” or “always”, jumped 13 % from 2016 to 2024, and the president-elect is now 32 % more likely to use negative descriptors than positive ones, a margin increase of 11 points compared to 2016.
Members of the incoming administration aren’t surprised that Trump will be older than Biden by the time his second term in office comes to an end.
Two former senior Biden White House officials advised the Washington Examiner to “buckle up” and get ready for more political attacks on Donald Trump’s age in the upcoming four years.
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The former Biden official joked,” If you seriously think Donald Trump has the same physical measurements as an All-Pro NFL running back, I’ve got some magic beans to sell you.”
” The cat’s out of the bag”, the second former Biden aide stated. ” Trump might have started this fight, but I don’t think he’ll like how it’s going to end. Nobody beats Father Time”.