By Ben Barba Zuniga
Special to Contra Costa Youth Journalism
Throughout the ages, our amazing country has had a proud history of balding old men as our great leaders.
In fact, prior to the massive plot twist that was Vice President Kamala Harris’ replacement of President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket this summer, we had 81-year-old Biden dueling it out with 78-year-old Donald Trump for the Oval Office.
Yes, that’s the same age as most students’ grandparents.
As much as many of us love our grandparents, I’m sure a lot of us would have some serious concerns if they were leading a world power.
So the question is: How in the world did we get here?
Well, one of the first issues that needs to be acknowledged is that not just any Joe Schmoe can be president. Among other requirements, an individual must be 35 years or older, according to our dusty old U.S. Constitution.
And this makes sense, since I’m sure most of us don’t want college-age frat boys procrastinating on passing laws while hosting keg parties at the White House.
But attentive readers might notice that there’s just a slight difference between age requirements of the Constitution and the ages of individuals like Trump and Biden. With all due respect, those guys are pretty old.
“I see the wrinkles,” said Hugh Moore, an 11th grader at California High School in San Ramon.
So there has to be other factors at play here. Let’s take a look at some statistics and history.
According to the potus.com, which documents facts on presidents throughout U.S. history, the average age for a president when sworn in is 55.
This seems to be a respectable age to be president. Sure, it veers a little on the older side, but a 55-year-old person can definitely be the head honcho of a country.
And we’ve had some younger presidents in our history as well. The youngest elected president the U.S. has ever had is John F. Kennedy, who had 43 years under his belt when he came into office in 1961, according to the official White House website.
So, it’s official. Someone with a perfectly normal hairline, non-wooden teeth and younger than the age of 50 has been the guy in the big chair.
But these past election cycles, our choices haven’t been looking so hot age wise. Take current President Biden, for example. His age is a little noticeable.
“I think he needs a cane,” Moore said. “Maybe he doesn’t use one to look tough.”
Even without considering Biden and all his age-related tomfoolery, (I mean, getting up and down the stairs is a challenge for the poor guy) generally, politicians are old, man.
“The current Congress is the oldest in American history,” wrote Abdallah Fayyad, a writer for the popular magazine Vox.
The Pew Research Center, an organization that analyzes political statistics, indicates that the median age of members of the House of Representatives hovers around 58, while the Senate has increased from 62 to 65 in its past three installments.
So it seems that just in general, politicians have been getting older.
“I think we’ve lost trust in the younger generation,” California High 12th grader Melchizedek Balmeo said.
Balmeo believes that over the years the media has consistently depicted younger generations as irresponsible, especially in recent years. This has led many people to have negative perceptions of younger generations and not trusting them.
But it’s important to highlight that at some point in this century, we’ve had several young presidents.
Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were in their 40s to early 50s throughout their presidency. Great for them (though between you and me, being the big cheese of the country certainly did a number on their youthful appearances).
And giving credit to Biden’s last-minute substitute, Harris doesn’t look a day over 50.
Wait, what, she’s 60?
Anyway, although youth is lacking in the current political landscape, we can at least be assured that it is possible to have a president in their mid-40s.
Anything younger might be pushing it.
This story and illustration were originally written and drawn for The Californian’s “Time-Honored Humor Section,” which is produced by California High School students in San Ramon.