Long-Serving Presidents, or Short Term Kings?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

Trump taking the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, January 20, 2025

Donald J Trump, born June 14, 1946,   was the USA's 45th president. His first term in office was from 2017 to 2021.  He was 71 in 2017 and 75 in 2021.

He missed the next 4 years, but became  the 47th president on January 20, 2025  at age 78 and will finish in 4 years at age 82, his 2nd term.    

 He became the oldest individual to assume the presidency . 

He is now talking of running a 3rd term which would be from 2025 to 2030 and would start at age 82 and end at age 86.  

Well, I'm 90 and 1/2, so he can ask me questions about old age.  We do change from being in our 40's, you know.  It's a rare body that doesn't start to break down in many ways from mental to physical problems. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only other president who served 4 terms.   (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from

March 4, 1933 at age 51until his death on April 12, 1945 at age 63.  He is the longest-serving U.S. president of 12 years (death during 4th term), and the only one to have served more than two terms. His initial two terms were centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth saw him shift his focus to America's involvement in World War II. The news spread quickly and celebrations erupted across the United States. On September 2, 1945, formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri, designating the day as the official Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day).

                    Franklin at age 18 in 1900:   His parents were 6th cousins. 

King Louis XIV ( 5 September 1638-1 September 1715) was the longest reign recognized monarch in history,  His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is longerthan any monarch in history.  He died at age 77.  

                          Palace of Versailles

You may be wondering if his healthy lifestyle and diet helped him accomplish this feat, but what he really had was a head start. Louis XIV ascended to the throne in France at the young age of 4, following the death of his father, King Louis XIII. Though he was officially the king, his mother ruled in his stead during his childhood. He was known as the Sun King, and is perhaps most famous for building the Palace of Versailles.  

David was the 2nd king of Judah/Israel from 1010 BCE to 970 BCE, but at age 25 was the armor-bearer of King Saul.   First he married Saul's daughter Michael.  He was the fighter for the land promised them.  David ruled for 33 to 40  years.  

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt