TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
August 27 , 2026
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s official date of birth has been changed, removing two years from the age listed in federal records.
Under the directive, the National Archives and Records Administration and the Social Security Administration were instructed to revise the president’s date of birth effective immediately. The change would make Trump younger on official records and alter his standing in historical comparisons of presidential age.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision reflected the president’s longstanding superstitions and his concerns about reaching 80 in 2026.
“The president is extremely superstitious,” Leavitt said. “2026 is shaping up to be a bad year to be 80. Now, however, the president no longer has to worry.”
The administration did not provide a legal or administrative rationale for changing a birthdate that has previously been documented in government and public records. It also did not immediately explain how historical records, presidential biographies or other documents would be reconciled with the revised information.
The change would have another consequence: Trump would no longer be the oldest person to have served as president, depending on how the revised age is incorporated into historical records.
Administration officials described the action as another example of what they called the “most efficient and honest administration ever,” framing the alteration as a straightforward administrative correction.
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