Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has doubts about older individuals running and serving as president of the United States.
He said “there’s some advantages in maturity” but also warned that “there are dangers in exhaustion, and a limited capacity to work” with increased age.
Kissinger’s perspective on the presidency comes after serving as a national security adviser and then as a secretary of state for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1969 and 1977. He has also met with and advised other U.S. presidents and world leaders in the decades since. Kissinger’s perspective is also informed by his own decline over time. Kissinger is blind in one eye, has difficulty hearing, and has endured multiple heart surgeries.
Biden was 77 years old when elected in November of 2020 and turned 78 before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. If re-elected in 2024, Biden will begin a second term shortly after his 82nd birthday and would be 86 years old by the end of that term in January of 2029.
Biden’s Response to Age Concerns
Trump referred to Biden as “Sleepy Joe“ throughout their 2020 match-up, implying that his Democratic rival was experiencing diminished energy and cognitive decline in his advanced age.After Biden announced his reelection bid on April 25, Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley suggested Biden would be unlikely to finish his second term even if he did win reelection.
“I’m more experienced than anybody that’s ever run for the office. And I think I’ve proven myself to be honorable as well as also effective,” Biden added in his defense.
The chances of someone in their late 70s or older leading the United States through the next few years is not slight either. Trump and Biden both lead the primary fields of their respective political parties.
Despite his own health complications, Kissinger also continues to work about 15 hours a day, according to CBS.