Trump dismisses criticisms about Biden's age, saying when people 'do the age thing' they're coming after him as well

Former President Donald Trump and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Allison Joyce and Win McNamee/Getty Images

• Former President Trump said anything "wrong" with President Joe Biden has nothing to do with age. 
• Trump is four years younger than Biden. 
• However, he complimented progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and the founder of Home Depot.

Former President Donald Trump downplayed concerns about age during an interview — the first since his historic arraignment last week — that aired Tuesday saying President Joe Biden, who's less than four years older than him, has other problems.

Trump, who is 76, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson plenty of people in their 80s and 90s are sharp, noting Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 81-year-old progressive from Vermont.

"Bernie's older than Biden. Whether you like him or not, he's 100% sharp," Trump said of his fellow 2016 presidential candidate, adding "so it's not an age thing."

The former president also complimented Bernie Marcus — the conservative co-founder of Home Depot who claimed "nobody works" anymore because of socialism — by saying "he was 100%" while pointing his own head. 

Trump also levied criticisms at President Joe Biden, saying he could not see Biden running for president in 2024 — but made clear that he did not think what was "wrong" with Biden had anything to do with him being 80 years old. 

"I think they do the age thing because I'm 4-5 years behind. They say 'this is a way of getting Trump,'" he said.

—Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 12, 2023

As voters look to see if Biden — the oldest sitting president — will run for a second presidential term, his age has been brought up as a way to question whether he is fit to serve in public office. 

Past polls have found that a majority of Americans think both Biden and Trump are too old to seek reelection — although Trump is doing just that with his 2024 presidential bid.

In October, Biden addressed the concerns, saying they were "legitimate" but said that voters should judge him not by his age, but by his health. 

"I think the best way to make the judgment is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Am I going at the same pace?" Biden told MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart.

Representatives for Sanders and the White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.