As the 2024 race for the White House barrels forward, 49%, believe the best age for a president is in their 50s, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
Pew's is the latest poll to show that age may be an important factor in the presidential race as two of the nation's oldest candidates prepare to battle it out.
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President Joe Biden, the oldest president in United States history at 80, is seeking reelection and has faced criticisms about his cognitive abilities as an older person. If reelected, Biden would be 86 when leaving office in January 2029, a factor that has been of some concern to voters and the Democratic Party.
Former President Donald Trump is the current front-runner in the GOP 2024 race, and at 77, his Republican rivals are calling for a generational change. According to the Pew survey, only 3% of Americans said they prefer a president to be in their 70s or older, and only 5% of those who are in their 70s and older said they want a president who is older than 70.
Pew's findings were also consistent among Democrats and Republicans, with 51% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents preferring a president in their 50s and 49% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents preferring a president in their 50s. For both groups, only 3% said they wanted a president who was in their 70s and older.
Trump's 2024 rivals, including Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have both emphasized their relative youth compared to Trump and Biden. At 44 years old, DeSantis is 30 years young than Trump and 36 years younger than Biden. His campaign has touted the governor's youth as a key weapon in his fight to dethrone Trump's kingmaker status in the GOP.
Haley called for a "new generation" of GOP leadership and mental competency tests for candidates older than 75 when she launched her presidential campaign in February. "We are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future," Haley said at the time. Haley is 51 years old, landing squarely in the age group most Americans want for a president.
Yet both Trump and Biden are the leaders of their respective parties. Trump has consistently polled over all of his 2024 rivals despite facing multiple indictments. Biden is facing at least two other challengers for the Democratic Party's nomination but, barring a catastrophic issue, will likely be on the ballot in 2024, given his incumbent status.
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Voters may be souring on a possible rematch between Trump and Biden. An ABC News/Washington Post poll released in May showed 68% of Americans said Biden was too old for the presidency, while only 44% said Trump was too old.
Pew Research surveyed 5,115 adults and was conducted June 5-11. It did not specifically ask questions mentioning Biden or Trump's age.