Are US politicians too old? | Global News Podcast

The death of the longtime Repblican senator Lindsey Graham at the age of 71, and the hospitalisation of his 84-year-old colleague Mitch McConnell, have raised new questions about the advanced age of America’s political leaders.

President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday last month – becoming just the second octogenarian president after Joe Biden. Several lawmakers are even older, including 84-year-old Bernie Sanders, 86-year-old Nancy Pelosi, and 92-year-old Chuck Grassley.

And while the likes of Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are still in their 40s, the age in the Senate is around 65 – a time of life when most Americans have retired.

We ask the BBC’s Washington correspondent Daniel Bush about the benefits and drawbacks of an elder political class, why voters choose old age pensioners to represent them, and who may lead the US into the future, as some of its most powerful politicians near the ends of their careers.

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00:00 Introduction
00:12 Are America’s politicians too old?
01:18 Does age matter to US voters?
03:19 Are older politicians out of touch?
05:51 Concerns about a president’s cognitive ability
08:31 Should there be age limits in US politics?
09:46 Who will be the next generation of US political leaders?