Biden at 80: how old is too old to be a world leader?

US president has eyes on re-election as he celebrates birthday this week

Joe Biden walking through South Lawn of the White House
Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term as president
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Joe Biden is about to become the first sitting US president to enter his ninth decade, sparking debate over how old is too old to be a world leader.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.