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Nina A. Kohn, Distinguished Scholar in Elder Law, Syracuse University

UNBELIEVABLE: Why many older americans are losing ground even with an 80 year old president | History Defined

Donald Trump Social Security Medicaid House of Representatives United States Meals on Wheels
Junette Thomas, a retired nurse, puts away food delivered by Meals on Wheels South Florida. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

American political leadership skews decidedly older than the population as a whole. President Donald Trump turned 80 years old on June 14, 2026. The median age for senators is nearly 65, and the median age for House of Representatives members is almost 58.

But are those older people in office a sign that the U.S. government is turning into a “gerontocracy” that is giving younger generations short shrift?

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