The US Constitution sets no upper age limit for the presidency — only a minimum of 35. As a result, several recent presidents have taken office well into their seventies, and the record for oldest president at inauguration has changed twice in the last decade.
- Current record holder: Donald Trump — 78 years, 7 months (January 20, 2025)
- Previous record holder: Joe Biden — 78 years, 2 months (January 20, 2021)
- Third oldest at inauguration: Ronald Reagan — 69 years (January 20, 1981)
- Constitutional minimum age: 35 years
- Median inaugural age: 55 years
Who Is the Oldest President?
Donald Trump became the oldest person ever inaugurated as US president on January 20, 2025, at 78 years and 7 months old. He surpassed Joe Biden, who had set the previous record when he was sworn in at 78 years and 2 months in January 2021. Trump will be 82 at the end of his second term in January 2029, which would also make him the oldest sitting president in US history, assuming he serves the full term.
Biden, meanwhile, left office at 82 years and 2 months old — making him the oldest former president to complete a term.
Joe Biden: From Record-Setter to Runner-Up
Joe Biden was elected to the presidency in November 2020 at the age of 78, becoming at that point the oldest person ever elected to the nation’s highest office. He was inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
Biden came from a working-class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The family later moved to Delaware, where he pursued his education. He attended the University of Delaware, studying history and political science, then enrolled at Syracuse University Law School, graduating in 1968 and returning to Delaware to practice law.
Biden’s Senate Career
Biden ran for the US Senate in 1972, with his campaign organized largely by family members. Tragedy struck in December of that year when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident and both his sons were seriously injured. He persevered, and from 1973 to 2009 he represented Delaware in the Senate.
During his Senate tenure, Biden chaired the Foreign Relations Committee and worked to promote stability in the Balkans. He also authored the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and spoke out against the Iraq War under George W. Bush.
Biden’s Presidential Ambitions
Biden made his first presidential run in 1987, but withdrew after reports surfaced that he had borrowed language from a speech by British politician Neil Kinnock without attribution. He tried again in 2007, but was overshadowed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and his campaign ended early.
Obama secured the Democratic nomination that cycle and selected Biden as his running mate, partly for his working-class appeal in key swing states such as Pennsylvania. Biden served as Vice President from 2009 to 2017. In January 2017, Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The 2020 Campaign and Election
Biden announced his 2020 presidential run in April 2019. He won the Democratic nomination and faced Donald Trump in a race shaped heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 7, 2020, he was declared the winner, carrying Pennsylvania to clinch the Electoral College. He was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021.
Biden as President
During his term, Biden signed major legislation including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. He oversaw the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and managed the US response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He decided not to seek re-election in July 2024, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost the 2024 election to Trump.
Trump Breaks the Record
When Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time on January 20, 2025, he became the oldest person ever sworn in as US president at 78 years and 7 months — about five months older than Biden was at his 2021 inauguration. Trump had previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, entering office at 70 — which at that time made him the oldest first-term president, surpassing Reagan. His 2025 return to power, following his 2024 election victory, added a second record.
The Age Debate
Age emerged as a significant issue in the 2024 election cycle. Concerns about Biden’s fitness accelerated after a widely watched debate in June 2024, contributing to his decision to step aside as the Democratic candidate. Trump’s own age drew scrutiny as well — a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll from July 2024 found that 60 percent of Americans believed he was too old for another term. The Constitution’s framers set a minimum age for the presidency but no maximum, leaving the question of fitness to voters.
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The Oldest Presidents at Inauguration: Historical Rankings
For further context, here are the five oldest presidents at the time of their inauguration:
- Donald Trump — 78 years, 7 months (2025)
- Joe Biden — 78 years, 2 months (2021)
- Ronald Reagan — 69 years (1981)
- William Henry Harrison — 68 years (1841)
- James Buchanan — 65 years (1857)
For more on the presidents, see our guides to President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and our full presidents section. For the constitutional requirements for the office, see requirements to become president.
2 Responses
I will be opting out of anything from your site. After reading this post it is obvious you don’t value the Constitution at all. Anyone who does would not write such a sanitized history of Creepy Ching Joe Biden. He is the antithesis of a public servant. He is a racist: you didn’t mention any of his many racist rants. He has used his office for personal gain; you don’t mention any of the many times has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His foreign policy record is atrocious; as Gates said, he has been wrong on every foreign policy matter for 20+ years. His only foreign policy success is getting money from our enemies to undermine our country. It is a disgrace for you to associate the Constitution with your organization.
Thank you for your comment. As a policy, we try and stay as unbiased as possible and report the facts. Obviously with a topic which is primarily focused on politics, there is a very thin line. We invite comments (such as yours) in order to correct any mistakes or biases that may have been inadvertently made. As you will see from browsing the site, we approve comments from all over the political spectrum.
In this particular case, I think that your comment is not a valid criticism. This article is not focused on Biden and his whole life story. It is focused on who the oldest president of the US has been. We have then tried to represent that information in connection to how it has affected Biden’s career.
There is another article specifically on Joe Biden in general that you may also want to take a look at where your criticism is perhaps more valid.