The minimum age requirement for the U.S. presidency is thirty-five, with no maximum age limit. The last two presidential elections, which ushered Joe Biden, now 82, and Donald Trump, at 78, into the White House, exemplify this political fact.
The Founding Fathers intentionally omitted a maximum age limit from the Constitution, allowing individuals in their later years the opportunity to run for the nation’s highest office.
According to Pew Research, there have been 19 inaugurations featuring presidents in their 60s and only four involving presidents in their 70s. The average age for U.S. presidents on their first day in office stands at 55.
The 2024 election cycle reignited the debate around how old is too old for office, particularly after Mr. Biden’s on-air debate missteps in June 2024. This controversy ultimately led to his decision to withdraw as the Democratic nominee a few weeks later. Concerns have also been raised about Mr. Trump’s age and capabilities.
Here’s a look at the history of the oldest presidents — both in office and beyond:
Who were the oldest U.S. presidents at election and in office?
Presidents Trump and Biden are the oldest individuals ever to be inaugurated. When Mr. Trump assumed office on January 20, 2025, he edged past Biden by a few months to set the record. Both were inaugurated at age 78, but Mr. Trump was approximately five months older.
The third oldest president at his inauguration was Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when he took the oath in 1981. “I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” Reagan famously remarked in 1984 while campaigning for reelection against Walter Mondale.
Fourth on the list is William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, who was elected in 1841 at age 68. Harrison’s presidency was notably brief, as he died just 32 days into his first term, marking the shortest presidency in U.S. history.
Who are the oldest living U.S. presidents?
The oldest living president is Biden, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on November 20, 2024, just weeks after the election. Mr. Trump, along with former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who are all 78 years old, closely follows in age.
Who was the longest-living president?
Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 in December 2024, holds the record as the oldest living former U.S. president. Carter, a Democrat from Georgia, served one term from 1977 to 1981 and achieved the longevity milestone in 2019, at the age of 94, surpassing George H.W. Bush to become the longest-living president.
Recently, over 1,000 people honored the former president at a benefit concert held ahead of his centennial celebration. He marked his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024, more than a year after news broke of his entry into hospice care.
Since leaving office more than 40 years ago, Carter remained active by building over 4,000 homes for Habitat for Humanity, traveling globally to advocate for human rights, and being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Complete list of U.S. presidents, from oldest to youngest at end of presidency
The list spans from Biden at 82 down to John F. Kennedy, who was merely 46 when he was assassinated. Mr. Trump will also be 82 at the conclusion of his second term in 2029.
- Joe Biden, turned 82 on Nov. 20, 2024
- Ronald Reagan, 77
- Donald Trump, 74 at the end of first term
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 70
- Andrew Jackson, 69
- James Buchanan, 69
- William Henry Harrison, 68
- Harry S. Truman, 68
- George H. W. Bush, 68
- James Monroe, 66
- George Washington, 65
- John Adams, 65
- Thomas Jefferson, 65
- James Madison, 65
- Zachary Taylor, 65
- Woodrow Wilson, 64
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 63
- Gerald Ford, 63
- George W. Bush, 62
- John Quincy Adams, 61
- Richard Nixon, 61
- Andrew Johnson, 60
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 60
- Benjamin Harrison, 59
- Grover Cleveland, 59
- Martin Van Buren, 58
- Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 58
- William McKinley, 58
- Herbert Hoover, 58
- Warren G. Harding, 57
- Abraham Lincoln, 56
- Calvin Coolidge, 56
- Jimmy Carter, 56
- Chester A. Arthur, 55
- William Howard Taft, 55
- Barack Obama, 55
- John Tyler, 54
- Ulysses S. Grant, 54
- Bill Clinton, 54
- James Knox Polk, 53
- Millard Fillmore, 53
- Franklin Pierce, 52
- Grover Cleveland, 51
- Theodore Roosevelt, 50
- James A. Garfield, 49
- John F. Kennedy, 46
