Donald Trump turns 78, highlighting voter concerns over age in 2024 US election

Republican politician is only three years younger than President Joe Biden, the oldest leader in American history

Former US president Donald Trump with Senate Republicans on Thursday. Bloomberg

Donald Trump, who is running for US president against Joe Biden, turned 78 on Friday, highlighting how age, as well as physical and cognitive health has become a major issue ahead of the November election.

Republican members of Congress gave Trump a cake and sang Happy Birthday during a meeting. He was also scheduled to attend a birthday party in Florida organised by a group of his supporters.

Opinion polls show that American voters are more concerned about Mr Biden's age – at 81, he is the oldest president in US history. But if Trump were to win in November he would also be the oldest ever to be inaugurated.

Trump was mocked on social media this week after he gave a bizarre rant about sharks and the risk of electrocution from boat batteries during a rally in Nevada.

“What would happen if the boat sank from its weight and you're in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery, and the battery is now underwater, and there's a shark that's approximately 10 yards over there?” Trump said.

“By the way, lot of shark attacks lately. Did you notice that?” he mused.

“I watched some guy justifying it today. Well they weren't really that angry, they bit off the young lady's leg because of the fact they were not hungry, but they misunderstood who she was.”

Mr Biden, who was in Italy this week attending the G7 summit, was meanwhile seen in a viral video wandering away from a group of world leaders during a parachuting show.

In the clip, Mr Biden is seen walking away from the group who are clapping and watching the main event. He instead approaches another officer who was packing a parachute and gives him a thumbs up.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni then grabs him by the arm and redirects him back to the group.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greets US President Joe Biden during a welcome ceremony for the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, southern Italy. EPA

And last week, Mr Biden was seen in a video celebrating Juneteenth at the White House. He was smiling and standing almost completely still while the crowd around him, including Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, danced and clapped.

Trump, who late last month was convicted of 34 felonies, has sought to capitalise on Mr Biden's gait, mocking his physical gaffes in an attempt to cast him as unfit for office.

In April, the Trump campaign said Mr Biden was “shuffling his feet like a short-circuited Roomba”, referring to the robot vacuum, instead of addressing the economy and immigration.

Mr Biden's campaign has also engaged in mockery. On Friday, his campaign spokesman James Singer shared a list of “78 of Trump's historic 'accomplishments'” with links to media coverage of his gaffes, legal cases and policy proposals.

A poll in March conducted by the New York Times and Siena College found that 73 per cent of American voters believe Mr Biden to be too old to be president, while 42 per cent said the same about Trump.

Polls also show that Mr Biden and Trump are headed to a tightly contested vote. And it is unclear how much age will factor into the final result, as voters are also concerned about the economy, immigration and reproductive rights.

The two are expected to face each other on June 27 in the battleground state of Georgia for their first televised debate.