Is age just a number?

Outside of the ballot box, maybe. But according to our readers, it's an albatross at best for elected officials.

On the eve of President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, we asked you, our readers, to weigh in on whether octogenarians like our past two commanders in chief are fit to serve, and how you think age should be regulated (or not) in elected office.

For many of you, age was less a factor than experience and energy. For others, even voters should be age-capped based on our historically lopsided government and wealth distribution.

Below are some of the responses you gave us. For more opportunities to weigh in at usatoday.com/forum, leave us a voicemail at (202) 655-3923 or drop us a note at forum@usatoday.com.

At 89, I know aging is different for everyone

At 89, I have had some experience with aging. I'm well aware of the physical decline, although the president doesn't need to be a long-distance runner to carry out his duties. I'm also aware of the fact that people age differently.

President Joe Biden looked like he was 90 when he was 80. President Donald Trump is by no means a paragon of physical fitness, but he appears to have more energy than most men his age.

My primary concern with an aging president has to do with his sleep habits. Is he on sleep medication? If so, how quickly can he respond to a 2 a.m. emergency? I recall hearing that Biden had sleep apnea, and wondered how that might affect his alertness at 2 a.m.

While recognizing that people age differently, I have known many people in their 70s and 80s over my 89 years, and, while not subject to easy measurement, I don't think any of them were capable of........

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