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Front Burner · September 25 · 27 min

Is the U.S. a gerontocracy?

The United States is getting older, and so, increasingly, are the people charged with governing it. The average age of a U.S. senator is 64-years-old and in the House it's 58, according to 2025 numbers. Dozens of elected officials are in their 70s and 80s. Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump both turned 80 in office. As a result, Americans have seen questions about the age and capacity of their leaders become a central feature of the national conversation. What happens when the people at the top don't leave? And at what point does an aging society become a gerontocracy? Samuel Moyn is a political theorist and professor at Yale university. He's the author of several books, including 'Gerontocracy in America'. He's our guest today. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

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The United States is getting older, and so, increasingly, are the people charged with governing it.


The average age of a U.S. senator is 64-years-old and in the House it's 58, according to 2025 numbers. Dozens of elected officials are in their 70s and 80s. Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump both turned 80 in office. As a result, Americans have seen questions about the age and capacity of their leaders become a central feature of the national conversation. 


What happens when the people at the top don't leave? And at what point does an aging society become a gerontocracy? 


Samuel Moyn is a political theorist and professor at Yale university. He's the author of several books, including 'Gerontocracy in America'. He's our guest today.


For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts 

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