President Donald Trump turns 80 on Sunday, June 14, but he says he’s not happy about reaching the milestone. “You don’t have to wish me happy birthday because I’m not happy about that birthday that I’m having,” Trump told Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Oval Office on June 11. “That’s a number that I never thought really too much about. It’s not a number I like, but I’m here, nevertheless.” The remark came just days before Trump becomes only the second U.S. president to reach 80 while in office.
Trump, born June 14, 1946, will mark the occasion with UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts championship event on the White House South Lawn that will be nationally televised. The fight card, featuring eight or nine bouts, coincides with both Flag Day and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. A 4,300-seat arena has been constructed on the grounds, according to reports, with a $60 million budget backing the spectacle.
Despite his stated reluctance about the age itself, Trump has invested heavily in making the birthday a public and grandiose affair. A federal judge on June 12 refused to block the event after a lawsuit sought to halt it, clearing the way for the celebration to proceed. The White House defended the event as appropriate. “The UFC Freedom 250 Fight on the South Lawn of the White House will be one of the most entertaining nights in American history,” White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said. “Having this spectacle take place at the People’s House on Flag Day during our nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary is a fitting tribute.”
Trump’s approach to his 80th birthday stands in stark contrast to his predecessor. When President Joe Biden turned 80 in November 2022, he marked the occasion with a quiet family brunch at the White House, tucked between his granddaughter’s wedding and Thanksgiving. There was no major public celebration, no nationally televised event, and no effort to turn the occasion into a political moment, according to The Washington Post. Biden had even struggled to acknowledge the milestone publicly. “I can’t even say the age I’m going to be,” Biden told reporters days before his birthday. “I can’t even get it out of my mouth.”
The contrast reflects broader differences in how the two men view their public roles. Biden, who spent much of his presidency trying to neutralize concerns about his age by presenting himself as an experienced steward, generally treated birthdays as family milestones rather than public events. Trump, by contrast, has embraced a larger-than-life image and shown little interest in downplaying his age or stature. “For Biden, it was like, ‘How do I do this in a way that celebrates who I am in a way that manages the political aspects of it?’ As opposed to Trump, who says, ‘How can I be the Trumpiest Trump in the Trumpiest way possible?'” said Peter Loge, a political communications professor at George Washington University, according to The Washington Post.
Trump has sought to draw a distinction between his own vigor and Biden’s, repeatedly mocking the former president’s cognitive abilities during the 2024 election when Biden was 81. Yet Trump himself has acknowledged concerns about aging. In a May 26 physical, White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella proclaimed Trump in “excellent health,” with cardiovascular fitness comparable to someone 14 years younger based on an AI-assisted electrocardiogram analysis. Trump declared the results “PERFECTLY” on Truth Social. Still, questions about his health have circulated since last summer following visible bruising and swelling around his ankles, which the White House attributed to chronic venous insufficiency and frequent handshaking, respectively.
Sources
- USA Today — Trump’s “not happy” quote to Dr. Oz, his June 11 statement, and details of his medical exam results
- The Washington Post — Biden’s 80th birthday celebration details, comparison of the two presidents’ approaches, and expert commentary from Peter Loge
- WION — Trump’s statement that 80 is “not a number I like”
- The Guardian — Federal judge’s decision to allow the UFC event
- USA Today — Details of UFC Freedom 250 event, 4,300-seat arena, and White House spokesperson statement
