In announcing her decision to run for president in 2024, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, suggested that candidates over the age of 75 should have to undergo a mental competency test. It was an obvious dig at both President Joe Biden, who is 80 years old, and fellow Republican Donald Trump, who is 76. Haley, 51, would like voters to see her as representing generational change.
Whether anyone ever gets tested or not is beside the point. She got in her shot by causing Americans to think about the potential risks of octogenarian officeholders facing loss of brain function. Medical experts quickly observed that this was blatant ageism. One does not need to be 75 years old to encounter competency issues, and some studies have suggested such tests aren’t especially reliable.
Yet Haley’s political jab raises real questions: What qualities make for a good United States president, and how can voters know if someone possesses them or not?
