Approaching the 2024 Presidential Election, concerns about both current forerunning candidates’ age and mental capabilities have never been higher.
According to a poll from The New York Times, 71% of people surveyed believe President Joe Biden is too old to be President. 39% say the same about Former President Donald Trump. Both are vast increases since 2020, when a poll found 34% and 18%, respectively.
82-year-old President Biden will be the oldest United States President in history at the time of the 2024 election, while Trump will be 78.
The age of politicians in Congress currently is also extremely high. Pew Research states that the median age of the Senate is 65.3, and the median age of the House of Representatives is 57.9. Comparatively, the average age of the British House of Commons is 51, according to the House of Commons Library.
“Approximately 43% of members of Congress are currently older than sixty”
Approximately 43% of members of Congress are currently older than sixty. Think about that—nearly half of the people making legislation that dictates our livelihoods are nearing or past the average age of retirement in the United States (61), per a 2022 Gallup Survey.
It has become increasingly clear that many members of the current Congress are getting too old to do their jobs effectively. Reading stories in The New York Times about how Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze, suddenly during news conferences—not once, but twice—just this past year is beyond worrying.
Even if his health is not in jeopardy, incidents like these are embarrassing on an international scale. What kind of message does it send that the most powerful Republican in the Senate cannot get through a news conference without incident?
Even more terrifying is a comment from Mike Kim, a pharmacist in Washington D.C. who prepares treatments for members of Congress. In an interview with PBS, he spoke about prescribing medication for conditions like Alzheimer’s, also known as senile dementia.
Should the most powerful jobs in the country, with votes that hold the ability to pass life-changing legislation and are also required to make amendments to the Constitution, really be in the hands of people who may not even remember what happened just the day before?
I am not alone in this opinion. Pew Research also explains that 79% of Americans support maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington D.C., with overwhelming bipartisan support (82% Republicans and 76% Democrats).
Undoubtedly, many of the senior Congressmen and Congresswomen today have had exceptional careers and made American history with their legislation and government speeches. However, it is time to let the younger generations of Americans make their history.
It is time to enact an age limit on Congressional officials. If there is a limit on how young one can be, why is there no limit on how old one can be?
Shouldn’t the responsibility of solving today’s problems be placed on younger generations? The generations who will need to live in the aftermath of these next few, pivotal decades in history?
As we, especially upperclassmen, begin looking forward to our future beyond Haverford, we should consider these things when casting our votes.
It is time to let the younger generations dictate our future. As John F. Kennedy once said, “[It is time] to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans.”
