Questions of Competency Surround Aging Politicians

As the 2024 elections approach, age looms large as a factor on many voters’ minds as the top contenders for the White House — incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — would both be octogenarians in office. At 80 years old, Biden is America’s oldest president, and he just launched his bid for reelection in 2024. Trump, the Republican frontrunner, turns 77 next month, and if elected would be 82 by the time he leaves office. The age issue has come to the fore among Democrats, some of whom are calling for 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to resign after a weeks-long absence to recover from shingles, following prior questions about her cognitive abilities. On the Republican side, presidential candidate Nikki Hayley, 51, has called for competency tests for politicians, including presidential candidates, over the age of 75. “The proverb ‘with age comes wisdom’, although true, has to be tempered with the reality of obvious cognitive decline in our current president, playing out in real time daily,” says Diane Canada, author of “Lady Up & Don’t Quit” and founder of the Lady Up America movement, empowering women to better influence tough political conversations. “Wisdom is supposed to be the umpire from the leader of the free world, as he is charged with making the most crucial decisions that affect us all,” Canada said. “However, when we have a President that repeatedly seems unaware of even the world around him it’s beyond unsettling that he would be making decisions for the rest of the world right now.” Canada said “it would be unwise” for voters to ignore age as a factor in electing a president. “There are a few safeguards we could all agree on: physical stamina, mental acuity (memory, focus, concentration), and the ability to demonstrate American strength from a podium, chief among them,” Canada said. “A president with a very light schedule and who stumbles often as he boards Air Force One, who is repeatedly confused on camera and off, and regularly embarrasses America from the podium in front of other world leaders, are all disqualifiers for the American people,” Canada said. “It is less about age and more about competency.” TMX contributed to this story.