The 39th President of the United States who served from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter said on September 17 that he doesn't believe that he could manage to be President at the age of 80. The former President is about to reach his 95th year in a few weeks. Although he didn't make any direct comments about the age of the fellow Democrats running for the Presidential elections, two of them, namely Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are 76 and 78 year old respectively and would turn 80 during their terms once elected. The longest-lived chief executive in American history, Carter gave the response after being asked whether he had considered running in 2020 since he's still constitutionally allowed another term. 

"I hope there's an age limit. If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was president....At 95, it's out of the question. I'm having a hard time walking," Carter said with a laugh as he answered audience questions during his annual report at the Carter Center in Atlanta. 

READ | Trump Says 'Trade Deal With China Before Or After 2020 Elections'

Carter's justification on his comment

Speaking on the 41st anniversary of the Camp David Accords, a peace agreement he negotiated with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Carter said that a President needs "to be very flexible" with his or her mind. One needs to jump from one subject to another and be comprehensive about it to come to a decision as he did in the aforementioned peace agreement, he said. The reason why he talked about the need for a younger age limit for a President is that he believes he couldn't have been that flexible if he were older, that is he was 80. Carter turns 95 on October 1.

READ | New Zealand PM Arden To Officially Meet Trump For First Formal Talks

His stand for Democrats and fight against Trump

Talking about the 2020 Presidential elections Carter said that he would keep an open mind. The only things that matters to him that the candidate should make the US the leading champion for peace, human rights, and equality. What matters more to Carter is that the candidate should oust Trump, he added making his stand clear for Democrats. Yet the age factor that he mentioned will leave him with few easy choices. In 2016 Elections, Carter voted for Sanders over Hillary Clinton siding with the democratic socialist over the party establishment favourite.

He warned Democrats not to go too far left, lest they risk alienating independents and moderate Republicans who can help the party defeat Trump. He asserted the democrats fight with single-payer health insurance system as potential deal-breakers, which Sanders and Warren are already taking up. Carter severely criticizes the current US government's take on climate change. He is also worried about the perpetual military conflict against America. He compared US' development with China and said that while the latter has invested in infrastructure and education, the former is busy in military engagements.

"That just shows you the difference between peace and war. I just want to keep the world at peace," Carter said.

READ | Donald Trump's 'locked & Loaded' Threat Invites Tulsi Gabbard's Ire

READ | California: Trump's Fundraising Trip Likely To Meet With Protests

(With inputs from Associated Press)