With two septuagenarian candidates as the front runners for the Democratic presidential nomination, their health — both physically and mentally — has become somewhat of an issue in the campaign.
However, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said that he would not weaponize questions about former Vice President Joe Biden’s mental health during the campaign.
During a Fox News town hall, Sanders was played a clip of former presidential hopefuls and commentators questioning Biden’s mental health. He said he wasn’t going to “go at the level” as the two battle it out for the nomination.
“I’m not going to go at that level in attacking him,” Sanders said, “That’s for people to decide.”
“All I can say is that Joe and I have very significant political differences. I’m not going to be making, you know, personal attacks on Joe. That’s not what I do,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Bernie Sanders asked about Joe Biden's "mental acuity" during Fox News town hall:
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) March 9, 2020
“I’m not going to go at that level and attack him. Joe and I have — you know, that’s for people to decide. … I’m not going to be making, you know, personal attacks on Joe. That's not what I do." pic.twitter.com/yWunjW4yKH
However, Sanders appeared to take a shot at the amount of time that Biden spends answering questions and the length of his rallies — specifically mentioning a recent event when Biden only spoke to supporters for seven minutes.
“Look, I’m here. We’re talking about real issues, and we can go on for three hours talking about them. If I’m going to give a speech to people … I can’t do it in seven minutes. There are too many issues, there’s healthcare, education, climate change, immigration reform, criminal justice reform. I don’t know how you do it in seven minutes. So, all that I’m saying is that I think as a candidate for president, you owe respect to the people.
“And you have to have the courage, or the desire, to say, ‘Hey, this where I’m coming from this is my view. You disagree with me, fine.’ But I can’t do that in a seven-minute speech,” he added.