[Global Focus] The World Controlled by the US, China, and Russia 3 Powers... '73.6 Years Old' Old Boys

'Trump Returns at 78, Biden at 77
Putin and Xi Jinping Rule for Decades Like Monarchs
Aides Age Alongside Them... Rise of Gerontocracy'

'73.6 years old'.

This is the average age of the leaders of the United States, China, and Russia, who prominently advocate conservatism and nationalism while dominating international economics and politics. It is more than 10 years older than the global average presidential age (median) of 62, as surveyed last year by the Pew Research Center. It is more than twice the age of Burkina Faso’s youngest president, Ibrahim Traore (36 years old). Beyond simply being older, these leaders share the common trait of advocating strong leadership.

U.S. Trump Returns to the White House at the Same Age as Biden

On the 20th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump marked one month since his inauguration. Trump, who was inaugurated as the 45th president at age 70 in 2017, returned to the White House this year at age 78. He is about 159 days older than his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, was when Biden entered the White House four years ago. Thus, the U.S. has consecutively had presidents in their 70s for three terms in a row.

Generally, countries with high democratic freedom tend to have younger leaders with shorter terms in office. Pew Research noted in last year’s report that "in countries with low freedom, power transitions are rare and long-term rule is common, resulting in higher average leader ages," while "in democracies, regular elections and leadership changes tend to bring younger leaders." Cultural factors and historical backgrounds in each region also influence leader ages. The older ages of leaders in socialist regimes like China and Russia, where one-person dictatorship is possible, are related to this.

The U.S. is a rare exception to this trend. Historically, U.S. presidents inaugurated after age 70 are few. According to Pew Research, among 68 presidential inaugurations from 1789 to 2021, only four were for presidents aged 70 to 79. The most common age group was 50 to 59 with 35 inaugurations, followed by 60 to 69 with 19, and 40 to 49 with 10. These figures include re-elections. The median age of U.S. presidents historically was 55. The median is the middle value when numbers are arranged in order. Of course, being older is not necessarily bad. Ronald Reagan, a former U.S. president often mentioned in political discussions about age, was famous for his quote: "I (73) will not use my opponent’s (56) youth and inexperience for political purposes," highlighting his eloquence.

When did American voters start voluntarily giving their votes to elderly presidents? Foreign media point to Trump’s victory in the 45th presidential election with the slogan "Make America Great Again." Trump successfully stirred nostalgia among white voters by promising to revive "the glory of Detroit." In response, the Democratic Party put forward former Vice President Joe Biden, who served eight years under the Obama administration, and won. Trump, who had become a "symbol of conservatism," targeted Biden’s "age risk" and reclaimed the White House after four years. Drawing on his experience of opposition from Congress during his first term, Trump has accelerated policies on immigrant deportation, government efficiency, and tariffs from the start of his current term. As a result, the average age of U.S. presidents has soared.

72-year-old Putin and 71-year-old Xi Jinping... Their aides are aging together

It is also interesting that the leaders of Russia and China, who seriously counterbalance Trump, the president who wields the "tariff card" to shake the world, are both in their 70s. Russian President Vladimir Putin, 72 this year, has been in power for 30 years. Putin, who became president at a relatively young age of 47, has focused on maintaining an image of being "young and strong." He has deliberately exposed himself to the public by bathing in ice water at minus 5 degrees Celsius early on New Year’s Day or riding a horse bare-chested.

Putin has also benefited from experienced aides who have aged alongside him. After the high-level U.S.-Russia talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war held on the 18th (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, foreign media assessed that Russia won a decisive victory over the U.S. The combined diplomatic experience of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov, both participants in the talks, totals 100 years. Lavrov joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1972 and has served as Russia’s top diplomat for over 20 years since 2004. Putin has also worked to establish institutional measures to preserve the positions of these "first-string federal players." As his close aides aged from their 60s into their 70s, he continuously amended rules to extend their official terms. The political and diplomatic journal Carnegie Politica, published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated, "Putin finds comfort in seeing familiar faces in the same positions in his old age," and diagnosed that "he created an elderly cohort by doing nothing to maintain the status quo and keep the team intact."

Relatively "younger" Chinese President Xi Jinping has also ruled for over 12 years. First assuming office in 2013, he succeeded in securing a historic third term in March 2023, breaking the precedent since Deng Xiaoping that the Communist Party General Secretary and the state president serve only two terms. This guarantees his term until 2028. Recently, Xi has shown decisiveness by purging some close aides during a high-intensity anti-corruption campaign. In response to the U.S. 10% tariff policy, China retaliated with "counter-tariffs" starting on the 10th. While Mexico, the top U.S. export destination, bowed its head, China maintained a tough stance. Instead, Xi has strengthened the U.S. containment system by fostering friendly relations with domestic entrepreneurs, including Jack Ma, founder and honorary chairman of Alibaba.

‘Unable to Represent Young Voters’ and Concerns Reminiscent of the Soviet Era

However, some criticize that the "gerontocracy" centered on elderly presidents and their aides fails to politically represent young voters and may even lead to regime collapse. They liken it to the late Soviet period, which ended with Mikhail Gorbachev’s era on December 26, 1991. Carnegie Politica noted, "The Russian regime is increasingly resembling the elderly leadership that governed the late Soviet Union." Business Insider also pointed out, "U.S. leadership has more similarities to the late Soviet period than leaders admit," and criticized that "in terms of age, the U.S. Congress does not represent the general public."

There are also voices within U.S. politics calling for finding younger successors early. This includes arguments that J.D. Vance, 40 years old this year and Vice President as Trump’s "strategic pick," should gain power faster and more extensively. However, Trump drew a line on this succession speculation in a Fox News interview aired on the 10th, saying, "It’s too early to judge." Currently, those considered to inherit a rich political legacy include Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and his third son Barron Trump, who is likened to the "youngest son of a chaebol family" in real life, alongside Trump himself, who is called the "Trump power broker."