When Joe Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021, at the age of 78, he officially became the oldest President of the United States.
And even those who couldn't wait to get his predecessor out of office wondered if his age might be a problem.
While one currently must be at least 35 years old to run for president, there is currently no maximum age limit.
And though one certainly wants someone with both professional and life experience to be the leader of the free world, the truth is running a country is stressful, with physical and mental repercussions.
Indeed, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, two of the youngest elected Presidents, have often said, being President aged them, physically and mentally.
This begs the question, should there be a maximum age to run for President?
Redditor DrFetusRN was curious to hear what other members of the Reddit community thought about this, leading them to ask:
"Would limiting the age of the President to 65 be something you’d support? Why or why not?"
Age limits aren't the first thing that needs changing
"Anyway you cut it a sh*tty system will produce sh*tty politicians."
"Ranked choice voting in my opinion is the law that would best reform our political entire system."- aqw113
"I think the US should implement a ranked choice voting system."
"I think that will have a much bigger impact on our political system."
"There are some senior politicians who are substantially older than 65 who are incredibly sharp and seriously paying attention to the concerns of their constituents."
"There are politicians and justices under 65 who are completely out of touch and prioritizing their own interests."
"So I don’t think capping age will make any kind of meaningful change."
"The bigger issues are that the current two-party system, electoral college, gerrymandered districts, and constraints on voting rights in black and low-income communities have resulted in politicians who are not elected by the population majority. "
"On top of people in office who don’t represent the majority, the two party system lowers the quality of the available candidates which in turn lowers voter turn out because neither option are particularly appealing."
"I think something like France has where all politicians are in the same primary and then the top two are elected would result in better presidential options."
"You could then potentially have a libertarian candidate running against a democratic candidate with a viable chance of winning, or a no-party candidate running against a Republican or any number of combinations."
"The mayors in my city don’t affiliate with any party and honestly it’s refreshing."
"It’s like having someone competent in charge without any political drama." - User Deleted
The Presidency should only be the beginning.
"Why stop at the presidency?"
"How about for all elected officials."- nthroop1
A resounding yes!
"The President sets the precedent. 65 is when it’s time for people to retire."
"Sit down, make room, live out your days in peace."
"Set that tone for the American people."- captainastryd
"Yes, absolutely."
"Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are way too old to be president."
"So was Regan when he ran 40+ years ago."
"Hell, I'd even go further and cap the ages for all elected officials at 65."- DirtyBirdDawg
"Yeah."
"Even arguments about mental fitness aside, I think we should limit to candidates who would at least be reasonably expected to spend a couple decades in whatever world they create."- grombleduke
"Yes I would."
"And if you need to know why just look at Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Diane Feinstein to name a few."
"This country has way too many geriatrics running it."- scootertrash
Even for a second term, the answer is still yes.
"All politicians should f*ck off the second they hit retirement age."
"Those who would hit it during their term shouldn't be allowed to run for office."- AkechiJubeiMitsuhide
The President needs to be in step with the times.
"I would support it."
"Not only for the obvious issue of 'old people have mental health decline' and the debate of mental disorders like dementia but a generational thing too."
"People who are 65 and up lived totally different lives than me at 26 even if we lived generally in the same or similar location, finical status, and social groups."
"Some of these politicians say they worked at McDonalds when in college too and bought a house and paid for their education at just $2 a hour."
"In 1960 $2 had the same buying power as $18."
"That's more than my previous factory job which was just $16 an hour."
"How do you explain that to them?"
"Even Bernie wants a $15 min wage which is not even a living wage anymore."- dotdedo
It does seem like there are more important changes which need to be made to the United States electoral and political system which are more pressing than age limits.
Although, maybe the best way to implement change is to limit the number of "old guard" politicians in office?