Is there an upper age limit for presidential candidates in the U.S.? Donald Trump becomes the oldest person to be elected President at 78

Donald Trump is all set to become the oldest person to be elected United States president. On Wednesday, November 6, Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential race between himself and Kamala Harris. The soon-to-be 47th President of the United States clinched victory after successful wins in battleground states like North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

According to AP, at the time of writing this article, Donald Trump amassed a grand total of 295 electoral votes, while Kamala Harris only managed to collect 226. This will make Trump the oldest president in the country's history, as he will be sworn in aged 78 in January. Although 35 is the minimum age requirement to become president, there is no upper age limit for presidential candidates.

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Donald Trump and Joe Biden broke the record for oldest president during consecutive terms

As mentioned earlier, Donald Trump won the race to become the 47th and oldest president of the United States on Wednesday. Trump broke the record for the oldest president to be sworn in when he won the elections back in 2016. At the time of his inauguration in January 2017, Trump was 70 years old.

The very next term, Donald Trump lost out to Joe Biden, who once again broke the record for the oldest United States President after he took office in 2021, aged 78. Trump is currently 78 years old when he won the election. The future president will edge out Joe Biden by a few months to yet again break the record during his inauguration ceremony in January 2025, six months before he turns 79 in June.

Prior to the three consecutive records broken by the Trump-Biden duo, the previous oldest president to assume office was Ronald Reagan. The former movie star was 69 years old at the time of his inauguration in 1981 and 77 years old when he left the position in 1989 after completing two consecutive terms.

In the spot behind Reagan is William Henry Harrison. The ninth president of the United States was 68 years old when he became president in 1841. However, Harrison's time at the top was a short-lived one as he tragically passed away 32 days after taking office, making Harrison's tenure as president the shortest in United States history.

When it comes to the oldest living president of the United States, Jimmy Carter takes the top spot, as he turned 94 in 2019. Carter, who recently turned 100 on October 1, served as United States president from 1977 to 1981, losing out to Reagan in the race for his second term.

At the moment, the current United States commander-in-chief, Joe Biden, is the second oldest living United States president. Biden, who is currently 81 years old will turn 82 on November 20 of this year.

The 2024 United States election campaign focused heavily on the age of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump as criticisms were made regarding the need for an upper age limit. Biden, who received a share of the criticism eventually dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024, and immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.

As mentioned earlier, Donald Trump's election victory was confirmed mere hours after polling ended on Wednesday, November 6. Even before the official confirmation, Trump addressed his supporters at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, and proclaimed his victory. The soon-to-be 47th President of the United States said:

"We’ve been through so much together, and today you showed up in record numbers to deliver a victory,"

He added:

"This was something special and we’re going to pay you back,"

As per BBC's report on November 6, Kamala Harris' aide confirmed to journalists that the Vice President had called Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon and congratulated him on his election victory. She discussed the importance of being a president for all Americans and a peaceful transfer of power.