On November 20th, President Joe Biden celebrated his 80th birthday at the White House, maintaining his title of the oldest president and the first president to be 80.  

But as the first president to exceed 80 years old, many questions if  President Biden should be eligible for a possible second term election. 

“I don’t know if there should be an age limit for the president… because there aren’t age limits for other members of the government like there aren’t for the Senate, the House, or even the Supreme Court,” said Simran Pandey (‘23).

There are term limits and a minimum age requirement of two and 35 years old, respectively, but no age limits are highlighted in the constitution. Although younger people may not have the experience necessary, older presidents may have issues. However, many people support an age limit. 

“I do think that there should be a limit for a presidency. The energy required to run a country and be fully aware . . . of all of the problems and issues… it takes a tremendous amount of energy and discipline,” said Christopher Murphy (Normal/AP World Teacher). 

Especially since President Biden is 80 years old, many believe the job will be harder than what any other president has executed. 80-year-olds are more prone to memory loss and a weaker immune system. An example is President Ronald Reagan, who some historians speculate had symptoms of Alzheimer’s during his last few years in office. His condition may make him unfit for office. 

“I don’t know if it is healthy for President Biden or even safe for our government for him to run again, given that he’s so much older than the rest of the population,” said Pandey. 

But younger generations, including Democrats, have also voiced for a generational change across their party. They advocate for younger leadership in the government rather than the current. However, after the 2022 election, Maxwell Frost became the first Gen Z member of Congress, representing the younger generation. 

“I don’t think people over age 80 should necessarily be in the office because I don’t think that they are completely in tune with the younger generations’ wants, 55-60 is a pretty good limit because by then you had a good 20-25 years to run to be president,” said Pandey.