Donald J. Trump is the oldest president to take the oath of office, again

On By Littum

When Donald J. Trump became the 45th president of the United States in 2017, he was the oldest to be sworn in at the age of 70. But then Joseph R. Biden Jr. raised that record when he was sworn in at 78 in 2021.

Mr. Trump reclaimed the title on Monday when he became the 47th president. He is also 78, but five months and six days older than Mr. Biden was at his inauguration.

During the election, age became a key issue for Mr. Biden, who is 82. Last summer, he faced calls to withdraw from the race because of his age after a shaky debate performance.

After Mr. Biden dropped out, Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee. Age resurfaced as an election issue when Mr. Mr Trump competed against Ms Harris, almost 20 years his junior at age 60.

Here’s a look at some of the oldest and youngest presidents to take office.

Before Mr. Trump in 2017, Ronald Reagan was the oldest president. He was 69 in 1981 when he first took office. Mr. Reagan was 77 after his second term, the oldest president to leave office.

More than a century before him, William Henry Harrison held the distinction of being the oldest president; his induction was in 1841, aged 68. Mr. Harrison, who had caught a cold that developed into pneumonia, died on his 32nd day in office.

He became the first president to die in office and served the shortest term in office to date in US presidential history.

Many people may think that John F. Kennedy, whose inauguration took place in 1961 when he was 43, was the youngest president. But that distinction belongs to Theodore Roosevelt, there were 42 in September 1901, when he assumed the presidency after the assassination of William McKinley.

Other youthful presidents include Ulysses S. Grant, who was 46 when he took office in 1869; Bill Clinton, who was also 46 when he was first inaugurated in 1993; and Barack Obama, who was 47 years old when he was first inaugurated in 2009.

Ms Harris was 56 years old when she became the first female vice president in 2021.

Mr. Vance is the third youngest vice president to be elected.

Jimmy Carter, who became the 39th President of the United States in 1977, was the longest-living former president in American history. He died in December aged 100.

Mr. Carter, a Democrat born on October 1, 1924, sought to unify the country after the Watergate scandal, but he served only one term. A poor economy and an international hostage crisis reduced his chances of re-election in 1980.