Gates lends his thoughts on presidential credibility and the press

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he believes presidential credibility is similar to building trust because it's "hard to acquire but easy to lose."

Gates, who served eight presidents, spoke to John Dickerson on Sunday for an interview on "Face the Nation" and said that "all presidents sort of need to learn this over time."

Any trust or credibility a president garners, Gates suggested, is manufactured through a line of communication after it is disseminated through the press to the American people.

"The truth is, I didn't work for a single president who actually liked the press," Gates said. "But it is the means through which the president communicates with the country. One way or the other. And so I think the presidents that have done it best have been able to have scenes in the Oval Office with their closest aides where they vent their rage and their anger. And, you know, and earlier presidents would write a letter and put in the drawer and never mail it and things like that."

Gates suggested that President Trump's often-tense relationship with the press emerges from new expectations and editorial standards ushered in through information-gathering processes associated with the fast-paced rhythm of digital and 24-hour cable news.

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Mr. Trump or any president, Gates said, should be in no way obligated to respond immediately to questions delivered through quickened editorial pace.

"I think that with the pressures of cable news and the kind of the unending appetite for information, it feeds a desire for people to go in and tell the president, "You need to say something right now." Well, sometimes the president shouldn't say something right now, especially if he's feeling strongly," he said.