The young versus the VERY old: DeSantis, 44, will face Trump, 76, followed by Biden, 82

Young vs VERY old: DeSantis, 44, will first face Trump, 76, then Biden, 82 — and would become the third youngest president in history

  • DeSantis launches his campaign after a busy Florida legislative session
  • He would follow only Teddy Roosevelt and JFK to become the third youngest president
  • Joe Biden, 80, is already the oldest president; Trump would re-enter WH at 77

In a presidential field where Nikki Haley has repeatedly shot Joe Biden’s age, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is aiming to become the youngest person to hold the presidency in half a century.

Age has already become an issue in the presidential campaign, and Biden has called on voters to “look at me” and judge for themselves whether he is fit for another term.

DeSantis, who is not yet 45, plans to roll out a campaign where his youthful looks could do away with some of the need to make calls to open a “new chapter” in leadership.

His Sept. 14 birthday comes after the GOP’s first presidential debate, and if he manages to run the gauntlet and beat President Biden, he would be 46 when he takes the oath of office in 2024.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be 46 when inaugurated if elected president in 2024

1684970414 223 The young versus the VERY old DeSantis 44 will face

Ron DeSantis would be 46 when he takes office if he wins the White House, older than John F. Kennedy when he took office but decades younger than Biden, who would be 82 at the start of his second term

That would put him behind only two former presidents when it comes to youth: Teddy Roosevelt, who was elevated at age 42 after the assassination of William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy, who set the standard for a modern youth-focused campaign. and took office on 43.

That comes in a campaign where Biden’s age has been a recurring issue. Biden tripped on stairs while visiting a shrine in Japan last week, rival Donald Trump has repeatedly assaulted his mental acuity, and he’s sometimes beguiled by his own memories of working with segregationists in the Senate.

Trump, 76, took office in 2017 at an older age than Ronald Reagan when he took office. If he wins a second term, he will swear to uphold the Constitution at 77 – the same age Reagan left the White House after his second term.

President John F. Kenned, pictured in 1963, ran a campaign that emphasized youth and energy, even though he was only four years younger than Richard Nixon

President John F. Kenned, pictured in 1963, ran a campaign that emphasized youth and energy, even though he was only four years younger than Richard Nixon

President Joe Biden, 80, has addressed the age issue by encouraging voters to watch how he tackles the job.  He answered a slew of questions from reporters in Japan, but also tripped over stairs while visiting a shrine

President Joe Biden, 80, has addressed the age issue by encouraging voters to watch how he tackles the job. He answered a slew of questions from reporters in Japan, but also tripped over stairs while visiting a shrine

Donald Trump will be 77 when he takes the oath to uphold the Constitution if he wins re-election

Donald Trump will be 77 when he takes the oath to uphold the Constitution if he wins re-election

It would also make him just a year shy of Biden’s age when he first took office, following a campaign in which Trump repeatedly questioned his stamina and mocked him for campaigning from his basement during the COVID-hit campaign.

Now that Haley has already injected the fraught age issue into the race — she told Fox News last month that he probably “wouldn’t make it to age 86” — DeSantis may use other methods to remind voters of his relative youth. (Haley is 51 and has an Inauguration Day birthday, and has already outlived former CNN host Don Lemon, who said she was “past her prime.”)

His campaign is expected to feature Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, 42.

His website already has a “meet the family” page, which shows Madison, Mason, and Mamie, each of whom was born in the election years: 2016, 2018, and 2020.