How does Trump’s age at inauguration compare to previous presidents?
Donald Trump, at 78 years and seven months, will become the oldest person to take the office of President of the United States when he is inaugurated on Monday.
Inauguration Age Comparison Among U.S. Presidents
Published by Mohamed A. Hussein on January 20, 2025
On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term as the 47th president of the United States, becoming the oldest person to ever hold the office. At 78 years old, he will be five months older than Joe Biden, who previously held the record for the oldest president at inauguration in 2021.
Oldest and Youngest Presidents
Born in Queens, New York, on June 14, 1946, Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term at age 70 in 2017, making him the oldest president at that time. He surpassed Ronald Reagan, who was 69 at his inauguration in 1981.
The average age of U.S. presidents on their inauguration day is 57, a range that spans from George Washington, who was 57 in 1789, to the present.
The youngest president at inauguration was Theodore Roosevelt, who assumed office at the age of 42 after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901.
Longest-Living U.S. Presidents
The longest-living president in U.S. history was Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, living 43 years after serving as president from 1977 to 1981.
Of the 41 deceased U.S. presidents, six lived to be over 90, five lived to be between 80 and 90, and the average age of death was 72. John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, had the shortest life span, assassinated at the age of 46 in 1963.
Longest and Shortest Presidencies
Before 1951, there was no constitutional limit on the number of terms a president could serve. The 22nd Amendment, ratified on February 27, 1951, imposed a two-term limit, in part due to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms in office. Roosevelt served for over 12 years, from 1933 to 1945, before passing away at 63 during his fourth term.
Most U.S. presidents have served one term. Of the 46 presidencies, only 15 presidents have served two or more terms.
The shortest-serving president was William Henry Harrison, who died just one month into his presidency on April 4, 1841.
