On the campaign trail, 2024 GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has proposed “mental competency” tests for politicians seeking executive office, an idea that First Lady Jill Biden says is “ridiculous.”
While not specifically aimed at her husband, Haley’s implication was obvious. The first lady criticized Haley’s proposal to require politicians over 75 to take a mental competency test as “ridiculous” during a recent CNN interview.
Brushing off concerns over President Joe Biden’s age, the first lady was asked whether he would consider taking such a test and responded, “We would never even discuss something like that.”
Haley, 51, has framed her presidential bid around a “new generation” of leadership. In a speech last month launching her campaign, she called for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old. That includes Biden, 80, and former President Donald Trump, 76.
Joe Biden, who is currently serving as the nation’s oldest president, has said it’s his “intention” to run for re-election in 2024. The first lady pointed to his rigorous recent travels as evidence of his stamina.
“How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy?” she said. “So, look at the man. Look what he’s doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day.”
President Biden has faced continued concerns about whether his age could hinder his candidacy or performance in the nation’s top office. Still, Democrats have rallied around Biden even before he has officially launched his candidacy.
Last month, the first lady said her husband was ready to run, with “pretty much” nothing left to do but prepare for the announcement.
“He says he’s not done,” Jill Biden told The Associated Press. “He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.
In a more direct attack on Biden, Haley called on the Biden administration to get tough on a slew of foreign adversaries or risk war after an American citizen was killed in an Iranian drone strike in Syria.
“It shows what happens when there’s American weakness,” Haley said last week. of the attack on “America’s Newsroom.” “Whether it’s in Afghanistan, whether you see it in Ukraine, whether you see it on the southern border, you’re going to continue to see more of these things happen.”