The circuit for the hot breaker on the hot water tank keeps tripping

Probably wrong amp size on breaker. Check tank specs if it is a new one.

I have had a few hot water tanks fail in my day. One of the reasons why the breaker keeps tripping is the element that heats the water is corroded and bridges across the two prongs of the element causing a dead short. When it's working does the water hotter than normal?

It could also be that your hot water heater is leaking internally onto the electrical wires. I could not see a leak around my hot water heater, but it was leaking in between in the inner water tank and the electrical controls which are inside the outer wall of the hot water heater. If your breaker is the correct size, next call a plumber to see, or carefully open one of the doors that lets your look inside the outer wall of the tank, if it's wet in there, time to replace water heater. Electric water heaters go out more frequently than gas ones, plus most people don't flush the hot water heater once a year to get rid of some of the hard water minerals that accumulate in the tank.

Old circuit breakers can and do wear out over time. Replace the breaker with a new one. They aren't expensive. If the new one trips, then the heating elements are in need of replacing. Another not hard job, but needs a special, very inexpensive, wrench. If the tank is leaking, only replacement is the cure.