Older politicians are like older drivers - academic

RTÉ News · RTÉ News · 2026-11-04 09:51 UTC

Older politicians can be compared to older drivers — some can safely get behind the wheel at age 90, while others cannot, said Alar Kilp, a lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Tartu.

Older politicians can be compared to older drivers — some can safely get behind the wheel at age 90, while others cannot, said Alar Kilp, a lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Tartu.

Last week, 80-year-old Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election, marking the fourth time he has been elected president. In the United States, elderly presidents have followed one another in office, with Donald Trump succeeding Joe Biden.

When Trump first took office in 2017, he was 70 years old, making him at the time the third-oldest person to become U.S. president. When he took office for a second time at age 78, he became the oldest person ever inaugurated as U.S. president, surpassing Biden's record. Biden was just over 100 days younger.

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