The Daily Gamecock

Opinion: There should be a presidential age limit

President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn before departing the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn before departing the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

One thing that the presidency of Donald Trump has shown is that it’s imperative that our president is of sound mind. President Trump’s behavior over the course of his presidency has been downright bizarre at times, and his actions have raised serious questions over his mental fitness. 

According to the incendiary book "Fire and Fury," Trump’s aides have expressed serious concerns regarding the mental competency of their president, with alleged fears that Trump is suffering from ailments such as dementia. These concerns were echoed by Omarosa Manigault Newman’s recent book "Unhinged," which, as its subtle title suggests, paints a portrait of Trump as a man entirely unfit for the office he’s found himself in. 

According to Omarosa, Trump has undergone a serious mental decline over the years. Supporters of the president will likely counter that these are ultimately unsubstantiated rumors emanating from biased sources attempting to sell books, and they’d be right. However, the threat of a president with dementia is a real concern that’s bigger than Trump.

Ronald Reagan was also suspected by some as having Alzheimer’s during his second term. His own son, Ron Reagan, has claimed that his father showed clear signs of cognitive decline during the course of his presidency. While his theory is by no means authoritative and has been contested by others close to Reagan, this is a scary thought. Dementia and other age-related mental afflictions are terrible and terrifying diseases that erode basic cognitive capabilities, and no one who suffers from such diseases should ever be in a position of real power. 

Like many people, I’ve seen the corrosive effects of age-related mental afflictions firsthand, and the results are always heartbreaking. Seeing smart and successful people struggle to accomplish everyday tasks is never a pretty sight. The existence of this disease does raise the legitimate issue of whether or not there should be an upper bound on how old a president can be. 

We already have a rather arbitrary lower bound on the age of the president, so why not set an upper age limit as well? While age gives experience and maturity (usually, anyway), advanced age carries with it an increased risk of cognitive decline. 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 suffer from some form of dementia, and even those who won’t develop such a pernicious disease will still likely have some form of cognitive decline

If Trump’s erratic behavior can be medically attributed to dementia, it would be pretty significant proof that the dangers associated with having an elderly president are considerable. At the age of 70, Trump is the oldest person ever to be inaugurated. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are both much older than that, and are both possibly running for president in 2020. While they are both clearly of sound mind now they will inevitably begin to decline as they age further. 

If one of them were to win, we’d have a president in his 80s by the end of his first term. At an age when many seriously consider giving up driving or looking into assisted living, one of those men would be tasked with leading a country. The enormous amount of stress that the position entails would likely be disastrous for their mental state, as long term stress is believed to contribute to cognitive decline.

Of course there are plenty of elderly people above the age of 80 who are still sharp and are more than capable of being in a position of power. However, given the clear risks involved, I believe that a serious consideration of an upper age limit for the presidency is not beyond the pale. 


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