US President Donald Trump turns 80 today. He is already considered one of the most consequential political leaders in the world so far in the twenty-first century. His predecessor Joe Biden was the first sitting US president to turn 80 during his term, Trump is now the second. Unlike Biden who has shied away from media interaction and public appearances, Trump's schedule is still intensive and he maintains an extremely high profile and busy agenda.
This is not to say that the years are not showing. It is clear that Trump is older and that his age is starting to present challenges, but at 80, with a comprehensive daily schedule, enormous pressures and major government challenges, it is impressive what he still achieves.
Trump will be over 82 and a half years old by the end of his term. Can he keep up the pace?
His second term began with huge hopes in the US that he could curb illegal immigration, get inflation under control and steer the US economy in the right direction. The Democrats' policies of open borders, soft hands on criminals, overregulation, a massive expansion of the deep state in Washington and an exaggerated emphasis on DEI and a whole series of woke ideas were rejected in November 2024.
Trump has partly succeeded in his agenda and partly failed. The American border is now safer, crime is at record lows and the economy is still growing and creating a lot of jobs. However, the war in Iran has caused inflation to rise again and ultimately the cost of living, fuel prices, interest rates and perceptions of the Trump administration will determine Trump's legacy in November's midterm elections and beyond. His popularity has fallen again in recent months and he is losing significant support among independent voters and parts of the working class, such as many Latin Americans.
The Democrats are currently their own worst enemy with radical left candidates and ideas that make the party more unpopular than Trump and the Republicans.
Over the next four months, Trump will need to quickly end the war in Iran, bring inflation down, and significantly improve perceptions of his own economic agenda if he is to lead his party to an extraordinary victory in the midterm elections and solidify his own legacy. Trump’s election in 2024 was historic. The first since Grover Cleveland that a former US president had returned to the White House after a hiatus.
Today, Trump is 80 and will soon be the oldest US president ever. Petty feuds, exaggerated arrogance, pointless and sometimes ridiculous social media posts, and inflation are among his biggest enemies right now.
Trump’s strength lies in his forcefulness and charisma. His way of talking to ordinary Americans about what bothers them most. This is what won him victory in 2024. He remains an enigma and a unique political phenomenon. Many critics may have been hasty in recent weeks to write the epitaph of his political legacy, but what is true is that he will have to pull a rabbit or two out of his hat to finally leave the White House in January 2029 with a Republican-controlled Congress and a comprehensive record of success during his second term.