Joe Biden turns 82, a milestone for a sitting US president

Joe Biden turned 82 on Wednesday, an age milestone never before achieved by a sitting US president.

The president did not have any public events on his agenda for Wednesday, after returning from a trip to South America late on Tuesday.

Family, friends and colleagues, including first lady Jill Biden and former President Barack Obama, paid tribute to the Democrat on social media.

“Happy birthday to my dear friend and our incredible president, Joe Biden,” Vice President Kamala Harris posted on X.

Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July, in part because of voters’ belief that he was too old for the job and because of questions about his mental fitness after his faltering debate performance against Republican Donald Trump in June.

Trump, 78, defeated Harris, 60, in the Nov. 5 election. Trump is set to surpass Biden’s age record in his next term, as he will be 82 years and seven months old at the time of the next presidential transition in 2029.

Ronald Reagan held the record for oldest sitting president, completing his second four-year term at age 77.

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