OPINION: With the 2024 Presidential Election approaching, the age of candidates has come under scrutiny as younger voter interest dwindles

Marc Goldstein is a sophomore studying journalism and opinion editor for The New Political.

Please note that the views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the author’s information.

Ever since John F. Kennedy was elected as the 35th US President in 1960, the age-old question (no pun intended) has been when will there be a young president to take the seat in the Oval Office. At 43-years-old at the time of his election, Kennedy stands as the youngest president to take office. By electing President Joe Biden in 2020, American citizens set the opposite record as Biden became the oldest president to take office at 78-years-old. Heading into the 2024 Presidential Election, the likelihood of electing another commander in chief above the age of 75 years old is incredibly high. 

After working so hard for the past few election cycles to regain the youth vote, America is in jeopardy of losing that as two candidates, former President Donald Trump and incumbent President Biden, appear to be on a collision course to a second battle for The White House. These two candidates have very little in common, both in terms of policy and personal lives. However, one thing that is apparent for both of these men is that they are long in the tooth and not getting any younger. As the 2024 Presidential Election approaches, the biggest question is how will the young voters, some of whom are voting for president for the first time, respond. 

As Biden showed in 2020, the young vote is the key to victory. As illustrated in this graphic, Biden dominated the young voters, flipping some states that are usually Republican-leaning. His victories among the youth in Texas, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia all illustrate one thing: Biden is currently president because of the young vote. 

That being said, this is all ancient history in the world of politics. Since 2020, perceptions of both Biden and Trump have changed drastically, but the same sentiment remains: the candidate who captures the young voters will be the one in the best position to win the presidency. 

One of the biggest factors for the younger voters turning the way of Biden in such convincing fashion is simply the connotation of Trump to younger voters. For some of these voters, Trump has been in the media for most, if not all, of the formative years. He has come off as a bully, become a meme due to some of his voice bites and overall flounder in the public eye of the youth. While Biden is not exactly lighting the world on fire, he has not had to do very much besides allow Trump to crash and burn. 

For 2024, Trump has a tall task ahead of him. Not only is he fighting in the courtroom, he must do so on the political battlefield. In his defense, Trump has one of the most loyal groups of supporters and has not even had to appear on a debate stage to fend off his Republican adversaries. He is probably one of the few candidates capable of skipping two debates, having people fire shots at him and still be polling at a rate three times higher than the next candidate for the Republican nomination. 

The key for everything regarding the young vote to be taken by both candidates starts and ends with social media. The marketing on social media, while not amazing for Democrats, is better. 

With attention spans for young voters being shorter than ever, making the most of apps like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram becomes even more integral. In fact, Republicans have gone as far as to attempt to ban TikTok altogether due to its connection to China. 

Conversely, Democrats, like Ohio’s own Tim Ryan, have become even more popular because of the app, not in spite of it. Ryan currently holds 37.5K TikTok followers; he publicizes events, puts clips of speeches and even does dances with his daughter. On TikTok, Ryan has painted himself as a human being to younger voters. 

Policies be damned, the old adage of voting for the candidate that one thinks is someone to just sit down and have a beer with still has relevance. Ryan, in the eyes of young voters, is exactly that type of person. 

In a recent study done by Monmouth University, there is an overwhelming amount of apathy across demographics for another Biden-Trump rematch. Of the registered surveyed, 76% of them reported that they believe Biden to be too old to serve another term in office while Trump only received 48% of that same vote. These numbers tell a story of a country that simply does not care for two elderly candidates. 

In fact, these are the driving force in a lack of interest for the younger generation to vote. An election where the two candidates are so much older than this particular demographic leads to less desire to get out and vote. That being said, all odds point to one of these two being elected for another term in office. Regardless of who gets 270 Electoral College votes, the country’s youth will likely have to grapple with having a leader who is, by the time he leaves office in 2028, north of 80 years old.