At 82 years and 5 days, Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, is currently the oldest sitting president in United States history.[2][3] Former president Donald Trump, who is 78, raised concerns about his age during the 2024 presidential campaign, including his cognitive state, during and after the 2020 United States presidential election. These concerns increased after a poor performance by Biden during a debate against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, which led a number of commentators and some Democratic lawmakers to call for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.[4] He later withdrew his candidacy while stating that he would continue serving as president until the conclusion of his term.[5]
Prior to the debate, in February 2024, prosecutor Robert Hur, who conducted interviews totalling five hours with Biden as part of his investigation into a classified documents incident, described Biden's memory as having "significant limitations" in his investigative report.[6] At the time, liberal commentators and Democratic officials accused Hur of partisanship and including unnecessary detail.[7][8]