On May 16, 2025, former president Joe Biden received a prostate cancer diagnosis with a Gleason score of nine, the second highest value on the prostate cancer grading system. While Biden’s cancer diagnosis seems manageable, it’s a sobering moment, not just for his administration, but for the entire country. It’s a reminder of the truth we often choose to ignore out of respect: many of the people leading the United States are far past the age when most Americans retire. The people governing our country are not only decades removed from the median of the population, but often from the realities of the modern world.
At 82 years old, Biden doesn’t stand alone in the age bracket of America’s leadership. In fact, his political rival, President Donald Trump, holds the record for oldest person ever elected to the presidency at 77 years old.
This issue doesn’t uniquely belong to Biden or Trump. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, age 82, endured multiple high profile health incidents, including freezing mid sentence during press conferences. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains an influential figure at 84, and 83 year old Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the most recognizable voices on the left. With these political figures all pushing 80, many voters wonder whether this path makes sense
Experience matters, of course, but experience doesn’t equal effectiveness. With constant mayhem in the United States, the stakes of modern politics are too high to allow management by leaders who may struggle with the physical and mental demands of the job. If the presidency represents the most demanding role in America, then the person holding it should stand in peak condition.
Younger politicians are not automatically better, but they bring the urgency our political system currently lacks. They’ve grown up in a world of climate crises, mass shootings, and cultural transformation. They are better positioned to understand and address the challenges of the 21st century.
The generation gap doesn’t just reflect age- it reflects function. While many of our old statesmen and women grew up with rotary phones and black and white TVs, the world today changes rapidly with new technological devices surfacing each day. The decision makers need to know about such matters because they impact everything from jobs, to privacy, to national defense.
And political longevity creates a barrier to real change. In a healthy democracy, leadership needs fluidity and constant change. But in America we reward incumbency, and politicians too frequently remain in office until death or deathly illnesses come. Because of this, younger, and possibly more innovative leaders can’t move up because the old leaders refuse to move out. This problem produces real world consequences.
When older lawmakers are out of touch with what working families are experiencing such as expensive student loans or healthcare expenses, their policies fall short. When elected officials can’t relate to common challenges of Americans in their 20s-40s, they’re actions result in disconnection.
We need to have term limits, mentorship opportunities, and political culture that promotes passing the baton, not clinging onto it. We need to make space for new voices and new ideas, especially from underrepresented groups. If diversity in race and gender matters, diversity in age should as well.
Biden’s cancer diagnosis shouldn’t undergo politicization, but it also shouldn’t get removed from context. This moment should serve as a national moment of reflection. The decisions in the coming years, on democracy, climate, the world economy, and more, should require leaders who will have to live with the benefits and the consequences. We owe it to the next generation to allow them not only a seat at the table, but an opportunity to take control.
