Maxine Waters Refuses To Back Age Limits For Congress In Capitol Exchange

Rep. Maxine Waters refused to support age limits for elected officials during a Capitol Hill exchange Thursday, arguing that voters should decide whether public servants remain fit for office rather than relying on a fixed age cutoff.

The 87-year-old California Democrat was questioned by TMZ producer Jacob Wasserman after a Working Families press conference. Wasserman asked whether younger Americans have a valid concern when they say some political leaders are too old to continue holding power.

Waters pushed back on the idea that age alone should be the standard.

“What do they do? What can you document? What can you give them credit for? What can you criticize them for?” Waters said.

“If you do what it takes to evaluate, then you can decide.”

When Wasserman suggested voters should judge politicians by their accomplishments rather than their age, Waters agreed.

“Performance and effectiveness,” she said.

The discussion then turned to President Donald Trump after Wasserman asked whether an 80-year-old commander in chief could be considered too old, referencing the widespread concerns that surrounded former President Joe Biden’s age and fitness while he was in office.

Waters avoided directly addressing Trump’s age. Instead, she used the moment to attack the current President’s leadership.

“The president of the United States is destroying our democracy,” Waters said.

“He’s made unkept promises.”

“He is enriching himself and his family with cryptocurrency.”

Waters also accused President Trump of attempting to expand his own authority.

“He is absolutely committed to empowering himself,” she said.

Even after those attacks, Waters acknowledged that voters remain the final authority in a constitutional republic.

“I think some people are having buyer’s remorse, and we see it in the polls,” she said.

“In the final analysis, it is the people who will finally determine that this president is dangerous and divisive.”

Wasserman then brought the conversation back to the central question and asked whether there should be an age limit for the presidency.

Waters again rejected the idea.

“People should be evaluated and thought of in terms of what they do,” she said.

He continued pressing the issue, asking whether even a hypothetical 100-year-old “fighter” should still be allowed to serve in office.

Waters stood by her position.

“The people should evaluate who should be in office with their vote, and that’s it,” she said.

The exchange comes as age continues to dominate national political debate. Concerns over the health, stamina, and judgment of long-serving officials have grown across both parties, especially after the Biden presidency placed the issue front and center for millions of Americans.

Waters, at 87, is among the oldest members of Congress. Several other lawmakers in both the House and Senate are also serving deep into their 70s and 80s, according to The New York Post.

The question of age limits has gained momentum in recent years as Americans have watched aging political leaders remain in powerful roles while younger generations demand more representation and accountability.

Supporters of age limits argue that Washington needs fresh leadership and that politicians should not remain in office indefinitely. Critics of those limits, however, argue that experience, effectiveness, and the will of the voters should matter more than age alone.

Waters made clear she falls firmly in the second camp.

Her comments also come after she appeared at an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles in February, where demonstrators chanted “ICE out of L.A.” before the event later descended into unrest and multiple arrests.

“What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said while standing in front of officers wearing riot gear, Fox News reported. “And, of course, they’re now trying to tear gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving.”

Later that day, Los Angeles police arrested multiple violent agitators after issuing dispersal orders near a federal detention center.

Thousands of protesters had gathered outside City Hall before many marched toward the detention facility. Police said a group of agitators pushed a large construction dumpster and blocked the entrance to the building’s loading dock.

The LAPD later shared video of the unrest on social media and said officers used pepper balls and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

For conservatives, Waters’ remarks highlight a familiar tension inside the Democratic Party. While Democrats spent years defending aging leaders like Biden and Waters, they continue attacking President Trump, despite voters returning him to the White House and giving him a mandate to restore order, secure the border, and confront the entrenched political establishment.

The larger question remains whether voters will continue tolerating career politicians who have spent decades in Washington while blaming America’s problems on the very leaders trying to disrupt the system.