Donald Trump turns 78 on Friday, a milestone that will remind voters that the two major party candidates running for president of the United States this year are the oldest in the history of the race for office.
Age and mental acuity have been at the center of the contest between Republican Trump and his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, often receiving more attention than substantive policy issues in the run-up to the Nov. 5 election.
Public opinion polls show that Americans are most concerned about Biden’s advanced age, which is 81 years old. But at 78, Trump is only three and a half years younger, and would be the oldest person to be inaugurated if he wins a second term.
Trump is scheduled to speak Friday at a birthday party thrown for him in West Palm Beach, Florida, by a group of diehard supporters.
During the election campaign, Trump has not made explicit the issue of Biden’s age, but has tried to capitalize on his opponent’s every verbal error, as well as his slower gait, to present him as unfit for the Oval Office.
Biden has responded to questions about his age by telling voters to focus on his accomplishments in office as evidence of his acumen and strength. She has also described Trump as a threat to democracy and criticized his sometimes disjointed speeches as well as Trump’s use of inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants.
Still, even some Democrats have expressed concern about Biden’s ability to complete another term, which would take him to age 86.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll in February, about 78% of respondents, including 71% of Democrats, said Biden, already the oldest president, was too old to work in government. About 53% of respondents said Trump, who was president from 2017 to 2021, was too old for government work.
“It’s not about age, it’s about mental ability,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, arguing that voters can see the contrast between Biden and Trump, whom she described as “smart as a needle with an elite resistance.
Biden’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Presidential historian Timothy Naftali said Trump projects energy in public appearances, making him appear more vital physically, but that doesn’t mean he’s sharper mentally.
“Listening to the two men, it is not clear who has better command of his faculties,” Naftali said.
Allan Lichtman, a history professor at American University and a well-known presidential forecaster, said Trump had made speech errors and spread false information to a degree that should raise more questions about his mental fitness.
“People are somehow focusing on the mistakes Biden has made while completely ignoring the way Trump seems completely out of touch with reality,” he said.
Trump and Biden are tied in national opinion polls, and Trump leads in several of the battleground states that could decide the November race.
It’s unclear to what extent age will be a factor in the final outcome. Among the issues voters will weigh are the strength of the economy, which is generally doing well but is beset by inflation, as well as immigration and abortion rights.
Voters must also consider Trump’s legal problems. Last month, a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election. He faces three additional criminal cases, although none are likely to go to trial before the elections.
The first televised debate on June 27 will be a major test for both Biden and Trump, with voters looking for verbal errors as a possible indicator that they might not be up to the task of leading the country.
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