Gates Says Age of Some Candidates Is ‘Problematic’

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CBS News that age is a “problematic” issue in the 2020 presidential election.

Gates said candidates in their late seventies — like former Vice President Joe Biden, who is 76, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is 77 — don’t have the “kind of energy that I think is required to be president.” He also said he believes President Trump, at 72, may also be too old for the job.

Gates added: “I’m not sure you have the intellectual acuity that you might have had in your 60s. The thought of taking on those responsibilities at this point in my life would be pretty daunting.”