At 77 Years Old, Biden Becomes Oldest President-Elect in American History
Joe Biden is the oldest President-elect in history and set to become the oldest sitting president of all time.
The 77-year-old, who currently leads Trump 290 to 214 in the Electoral Vote with three states still to declare, will enter the White House in January following a five-decade career in politics which began with him becoming one of the youngest senators in U.S. history
Biden was 29 when he was elected as a senator in 1972 for the state of Delaware, where he went on to serve six terms.
Biden will turn 78 on November 20, meaning by the time of his inauguration he will be the oldest president of all time.
The current oldest sitting president in U.S. history is Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he left office in 1989 and 69 at the time of his inauguration.
At 70-years-old, Trump was the oldest man to assume the presidency on January 20, 2017. At 43-years-old, John F. Kennedy was the youngest elected president when he entered the White House in 1961.
The issue of Biden's age has come up a number of times during the election campaign. There has been widespread speculation that Biden will only seek one term in office given he will be 82-years-old by the time of the next election.
Conservatives have used every gaffe and mistake he made on the trail as a criticism and proof of an apparent cognitive decline.
The 74-year-old Trump has also frequently mocked "Sleepy Joe" and questioned if he still has the energy to be president.
Biden addressed the issues surrounding his age during an appearance on ABCs The View in April 2019.
"I think it's important for people - it's a legitimate question to ask about my age," Biden said. "Hopefully, I can demonstrate that with age comes wisdom and experience that can make things a lot better. That's for you all to decide, not for me to decide."
In his election victory speech, Biden called for unity in the country and declared that "This is the time to heal in America."
"To those who voted for President Trump. I understand the disappointment. But now, let's give each other a chance. It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again, and to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies.
"They are not our enemies, they're Americans."
