Joe Biden is already the oldest sitting president in history.
In November, he became the first person in his 80s 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 are swirling ahead of Tuesday’s announcement that he’s running for a second term, and they won’t go away as he goes down the campaign trail.
When Americans go to the polls for the election on November 5, 2024, he will be 81 and will turn 82 15 days later.
Donald Trump, who leads the field of Republican candidates, is 76. If both he and Biden manage to win their party’s nomination, it means that both fighters for the White House will have been born in the 1940s.
DailyMail.com has broken down how Biden’s age compares to 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 80s 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 US history
Joe Biden
President Joe Biden was 78 years old when he was inaugurated in January 2021, securing the title of oldest president in history.
He was born on November 20, 1942, when the US was still involved in World War II.
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 there have been questions about his age from his critics and some within his own party.
He will be 81 in the 2024 presidential election and will be 86 at the end of his second term if he wins.
Donald Trump
Trump was 70 years old when he entered the Oval Office in 2017 after defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
If he wins a second term, he will be 78 and the second oldest president in history after Biden.
His battle with COVID while in the White House raised questions about his age and health, but for the past two years the focus has been mostly on Biden.
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 after Biden
Ronald Reagan
When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981 after defeating 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, aged 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 defeating 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 ninth president in 1841.
Born in 1773, he would hold the title of oldest president for 140 years until Reagan took over.
Despite being the oldest, he also had the shortest presidency in history.
He died of pneumonia just 32 days into his tenure. It is believed that he caught a cold when he spoke for two hours during the inauguration without wearing a coat or a hat.
William Henry Harrison was 68 years old when he was elected ninth president in 1841. He died of pneumonia just 32 days into his tenure
James Buchanan
Buchannan was nicknamed “Old Buck” when he was elected president in 1857 at the age of 65.
Inaugurated just before the Civil War, he pledged 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 – until his death at the age of 94 in 2018.
Zakaria Taylor
Taylor, known as ‘Old Rough and Ready’ was 64 years old when he took office in 1849.
He died just over a year later after taking office in 1951.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was sworn into office in 1953 at the age of 62.
He stood firm against the Soviet Empire and established the “Eisenhower Doctrine,” which helped American allies ask for help against aggressor nations.
He was commander in chief for two terms and left office at the age of 70.
He was succeeded by JFK, the second-youngest president in U.S. history to take office at age 43.
Andrew Jackson
Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was 61 years old 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 to assume the presidency in 1796.
He and Jefferson both died 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 primaries, Warren entered the Democratic race at age 70.
She is also the oldest female presidential candidate in history.
John McCain
McCain ran for president against Barack Obama in 2008 at the age of 72. He failed to secure the presidency, so he returned to the Senate.
He previously attempted to land the 2000 GOP nomination but lost to former President George W. Bush.
The former Arizona senator passed away in 2018.
Bob Dol
Dole was 73 years old when he became the GOP presidential candidate 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 re-election in 1984.
Donald Trump
Trump was 74 when he launched his failed re-election bid in 2020.
He is now 76 as he begins his third term for president. He is expected to face Governor Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and others as a crowded GOP field begins to form.
Michael 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-financed 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 primary.
The Vermont senator began his political career in 1981 when he was elected 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 first ran for president in 2016, but also dropped out during the primaries.
Bernie Sanders, one of the oldest sitting senators, was 78 when he ran for independence in 2020. The Vermont senator began his political career in 1981 when he was elected mayor of Burlington, but already had a reputation as an activist
Joe Biden
At 80, Biden is one of the oldest presidential candidates ever as he launches his re-election bid.
William Hope Harvey
Harvey was on Biden for a year, at age 81, when he ran for president in 1932 for the Liberty Party.
The spa attorney, author, and founder was on the ballot in 10 states, receiving 53,000 votes to complete the fifth revision.
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt eventually defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover by a whopping 472 to 59 votes in the electoral college.
Harvey died four years later at the age of 84.
William Hope Harvey was on Biden for a year at age 81 when he ran for president of the Liberty Party in 1932
Harold Stas
Stassen takes the cake at the age of 85 when he entered the race for president in 1992.
He had launched a total of nine campaigns, all of them barren.
Harold Stassen takes the cake at age 85 when he ran for president in 1992