Joe Biden will face Ronald Reagan – only 78 years old when he left the White House in 1989 – as the oldest American president ever when he was sworn in on Wednesday.
Mr Biden, whose doctor at the end of 2019 said he was physically fit to run for president, will be older on his first day in office than Mr Reagan was on his last day. Mr. Biden, who turned 78 in November, will also replace President Trump as the oldest to take over the presidency.
However, he is younger than many in Washington’s top jobs. Working well after the typical retirement age is one of the few points of the bipartisan agreement in the nation’s capital.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is the oldest member of the Senate at 87, while Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is less than three months younger than her junior. Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is 78 years old.
Republican Representative Don Young of Alaska, the oldest person in the US House and a member of Congress in the Nixon administration, is 87 years old. The top three Democratic leaders in his chamber are not far behind: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Majority Whip Chamber Jim Clyburn of South Carolina are 80 years old, while the leader of most Steny Hoyer houses in Maryland is 81 years old.