Forgetting and Mistaking: American Leadership is Getting Old

Some of them are already over eighty years old, but they still feel fit enough for political work: a number of senior politicians in the United States are not thinking about retirement despite their age. Are proficiency tests the solution?

Recently in Kentucky: Mitch McConnell was asked at a news conference if he wants to run again in 2026. Instead of answering, the 81-year-old remains frozen, staring into nothingness. His assistant repeats the question. After just 40 seconds of agony, McConnell managed to force a weak nod and barely answered two more questions before being escorted off the podium.

This is the second incident of its kind within five weeks. McConnell’s team then explains that there is a little dizziness, which is completely normal after a severe concussion. The Republicans fell last March, and not for the first time. The older man, called “Turtle,” isn’t the only elder in the Senate whose age is now apparent.

Haley: “This is the Senate Most privileged “retirement home”

As for his colleague Dianne Feinstein, a legend from the Senate Democrats, who is 90 years old, she is almost the oldest in the Senate, and she has been struggling with problems of forgetfulness and concentration for years. She often appears confused at meetings — and lets others tell her how to vote.

“The Senate is currently the most privileged retirement home in the country!” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said on Fox News. “Mitch McConnell has done great things. He deserves credit for that. But you also have to know when it’s time to go.”

Biden is already the oldest president of the United States

Haley, 51 and campaigning on the topic of generational change, remains the exception to this clarity. But the debate over age or term limits is back at its peak. Especially regarding the upcoming presidential elections: For example, Haley calls for mental competency testing for candidates over the age of 75.

It’s aimed at 77-year-old Donald Trump. At 79 years old, Joe Biden is the oldest US president ever. “Joe Biden will never last a second term,” Haley says. “We can’t have an 81-year-old president.”

Majority think Trump and Biden are too big

It appears that the majority of Americans agree with Republicans. According to polls, they consider Biden in particular, but also Trump, to be too old to serve another term. Age researcher Jay Olshansky of the University of Chicago disagrees: Both politicians appear to experts to be what are called “super-elders” — people who may be old, but who are still in good physical and mental shape.

Biden, for example, exercises and takes almost no medication. Olshansky said: “There is no evidence of a decline in mental abilities. There is a tendency to interpret his stuttering in this way. He seems more weak than Trump. But this is also due to his weight.”

Therefore, he considers age limits and tests arbitrary. It would be more beneficial if politicians with cognitive problems or life-threatening illnesses played their cards closer to voters. What you can’t force them to do. “If a person who wants to become president has problems with cognitive function, we as voters see that,” Olshansky explains.

It seems that age does not decide elections

Even if a majority of Americans consider these candidates to be too big, this aspect will not ultimately be decisive in the election, as political scientist Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia believes. “There are a lot of things people say they want, but they don’t vote accordingly.” Because other factors are more important.