Politicians In Relationships With Uncomfortable Age Gaps

Ronald and Nancy Reagan's long-lasting love story became the theme of their biographies. They met thanks to the American hysteria regarding communism during the Cold War. Nancy (née Davis) was working as an actor when her name was incorrectly added to a watch list of Hollywood's communist sympathizers in 1949, per Vogue. Nancy decided to enlist the help of a mutual friend to contact the president of the Screen Actors Guild — who was none other than Ronald Reagan. 

This stressful event wound up having a very happy outcome. Nancy and Ronald went for dinner, and ended up embarking on a lifelong romance. Despite their 10-year age gap, they soon married, on March 4, 1952. Ronald had been previously married and had three children, Maureen, Christine, and Michael, with his former wife, Jane Wyman, per People. Ronald and Nancy welcomed two children of their own, Patti and Ron. Despite this big brood, however, the two only had eyes for each other, often overlooking their children. In a letter Ronald wrote to Nancy, detailed in Karen Tumulty's biography, "The Triumph of Nancy Reagan," he said, "But what is really important is that having fulfilled our responsibilities to our offspring we haven't been careless with the measure that is ours — namely what we are to each other." Larry King reiterated this to People when he said, "Their love affair was probably more important than their love for their children." 

Their marriage lasted 52 years, until Ronald died in 2004.

Back when Jacqueline Bouvier was working for the Washington Times-Herald as the "Inquiring Camera Girl," mutual friends invited her to a dinner in Georgetown to meet John Kennedy. The meet-cute was a hit, and Kennedy later told a friend, immortalized in Edward Klein's book, "All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie," "I've never met anyone like her. She's different from any girl I know." Hilariously enough, Jackie had to leave the dinner party early because a man was picking her up for a date. When Kennedy ran out of the house to ask her if he could take her out for dinner, she casually said, "Perhaps some other time," and hopped in a convertible with the other man. However, that didn't stop John from looking for her in New York.

John and Jackie dated for two years before John popped the question with a very stately "2.88-carat diamond and 2.84-carat emerald" ring from the luxury jewelry brand Van Cleef & Arpels, according to Vogue. They married on September 12, 1953 in Newport, Rhode Island, when John was 36 and Jackie was 24.

At the reception, which was held on Hammersmith Farm, a property that belonged to her mother and her mother's husband, Hugh D. Auchincloss Jr., John and Jackie chose the Meyer Davis Orchestra's version of "I Married an Angel," Vogue noted, for their first dance as a couple. The two obviously liked Davis, as he performed at John's inaugural ball in 1961. 

American journalist Glenn Greenwald married David Miranda, a Brazilian politician who serves as a Federal Congressman representing the state of Rio de Janeiro. The couple had quite the meet-cute, too! Greenwald was vacationing in Rio de Janeiro and, while at the famous Ipanema beach, Miranda "accidentally knocked over his drink," per The U.S. Sun, while playing a volleyball game. Miranda was 19 and Greenwald was 37 at the time. What a charming way to begin a relationship! They have since adopted two children in 2017 and are rescue parents to 24 dogs. Yes, 24 dogs.

Prior to meeting Greenwald, Miranda hadn't completed his education and was struggling to land a career. Greenwald encouraged him to return to school, the push that Miranda seemingly needed. In 2019, he was named one of Time's "Next Generation Leaders." Miranda was also one of the first openly gay members of the city council in Rio. Out magazine called him "Rio's Gay Crusader."

While it can be awe-inspiring, Greenwald and Miranda have faced criticism for their 18-year age gap, with accusations levied against Greenwald and calling him a predator. However, The Guardian came forward with a compelling defense of their relationship, and Miranda, the younger of the two, vehemently spoke out against anything negative about their relationship or anything nefarious in Greenwald's behavior during their courtship. And there is probably some truth to Miranda's words, as the two married in 2005 and are still together.

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have a notable age gap, but in a different order than some might expect. Brigitte is 24 years older than Emmanuel, a situation that sheds light on the typical gendered aspect of age gaps in romantic relationships.

Brigitte and Emmanuel are the only couple on our list where the woman is older. In 2017, when Emmanuel was the frontrunner in the French election, he was 39 and Brigitte was 64. Mary Jordan wrote in The Washington Post that women in Paris were thrilled, with one saying, "It's normal to see men with younger women. So it's rather great to see the opposite."

Brigitte was actually a teacher at Emmanuel's high school and at the time, she was married with three children. Emmanuel was 15 when he first met her, according to The U.S. Sun, and she was his drama teacher. His parents sent him away to school in Paris when they saw a budding bond between him and Brigitte. When Emmanuel became president, the two set some records. He is, unsurprisingly, the first president under France's current republican system, also called the Fifth Republic, to have a partner who's older than him, and they also have the biggest age gap in Fifth Republic leaders and their spouses, according to a publication by The Washington Post. 

Senator John Hickenlooper made headlines in 2019 for his presidential bid in the Democratic Party, though he dropped out before the primaries. Hickenlooper served as the mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and became governor of Colorado from 2011 until 2019. He then became the oldest first-term senator in 2020, according to Colorado Politics.

Hickenlooper married Robin Pringle in 2016, making her the first lady of Colorado until 2019, according to Town & Country. At the time of their wedding, he was 63 and she was 37. Despite their notable age difference, Pringle was completely unfazed by any perceived imbalance in their relationship. "I think anybody who actually knows me thinks I'm older than he is, so it doesn't actually phase most people once they spend an hour with us," she told The Denver Post.

Pringle has an impressive pedigree of her own. She hails from California, according to the National Governors Association, and has a bachelor's degree from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. She works in overseeing corporate development. Perhaps the most interesting thing about her dynamic with Hickenlooper is that Pringle was once a registered republican, but she has also made donations to the Democratic Party, and has since changed her voting registration status to read independent. And who knows? Their political differences may keep their relationship interesting.

Jacob Zuma, who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, is a polygamist and has some notable age gaps between himself and his wives. In January 2010, he married his third wife, Tobeka Madiba, in a private ceremony. He was 67, according to The Guardian, and Madiba was 36, giving them a 31-year age gap. They share three children.

Zuma then married Gloria Bongekile Ngema in 2012, according to The U.S. Sun, with his three other wives in attendance. Madiba was there, along with Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo-Zuma, his first wife, and Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, his second. There's a 23-year age gap between Zuma and Ngema.

Zuma defended his stance on polygamy, saying, per The Guardian, "There are plenty of politicians who have mistresses and children that they hide so as to pretend they're monogamous. I prefer to be open. I love my wives and I'm proud of my children." While polygamy is legal in South Africa, it has become notably less popular with younger generations. As The Guardian reported, it's seen as "expensive and old fashioned." However, for Zuma, it's a viable option. In total, he has been married six times, though he and one of his wives divorced and another allegedly died by suicide. He has 23 children.

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The late Edwin Edwards, former governor of Louisiana, had an impressive age gap with his wife, Trina Edwards. They were 50 years apart, according to Fox News, and they met in a curious way.

Edwin was in prison for racketeering charges and served over eight years, according to The Advocate. Meanwhile, Trina came across Leo Honeycutt's biography on him, "Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana," per Fox News. "I was in the last year of my prison term ... and after she read the book, she became interested in my career and asked to visit me," Edwin told Fox News of the budding pen pal relationship with his future wife. "And I arranged for her to visit me and after that we got to know each other well and she came to visit me every visiting day thereafter."

After he left prison, the two married and welcomed a son named Eli in 2013, per The Advocate. They later starred in a reality show called "The Governor's Wife," which ran on A&E for one season. "[The reality show] follows us from the time we decided to have a child," Trina told Fox News. "We went through the IVF process, so it follows along with the IVF process and I think the season finale is actually when I gave birth to my son. So it follows the entire pregnancy, which was ... pretty rough." Edwin died in 2021.