Donald Trump has said that “anybody” running for president should take mental and physical tests after Nikki Haley took a swing at both Mr Trump and President Joe Biden when she suggested that mental competency tests should be conducted for politicians over the age of 75.
“ANYBODY running for the Office of President of the United States should agree to take a full & complete Mental Competency Test simultaneously (or before!) with the announcement that he or she is running, & likewise, but to a somewhat lesser extent, agree to a test which would prove that you are physically capable of doing the job,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
“Being an outstanding President requires great mental acuity & physical stamina. If you don’t have these qualities or traits, it is likely you won’t succeed. MAGA!” he added.
After issuing an announcement video, Ms Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump administration ambassador to the UN, spoke about her 2024 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on 15 February at a rally in her home state.
“In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire,” the 51-year-old said, per Politico. “We’ll have term limits for Congress. And mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”
Ms Haley’s comments were interpreted by many as an obvious criticism of Mr Trump, 76, and Mr Biden, 80. Mr Biden is the oldest person to ever be elected president. Before him, Mr Trump held that title. Ronald Reagan was older than Mr Trump when he left office at the age of 77 after being elected at the age of 69. Mr Trump was 70 years old when he was elected.
Ms Haley added: “And what I do strongly believe is the American people need options. I don’t think you have to be 80 years old to be in Washington DC.”
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 81, the runner-up in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, slammed Ms Haley’s comments.
“I think that’s absurd. We are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism,” Mr Sanders told Face the Nation on CBS on Sunday.
“Trust people, look at people and say, ‘You know, this person is competent, this person is not competent.’ There are a lot of 40-year-olds out there who ain’t particularly competent. Older people, you know, you look at the individual, I don’t think you make a blanket statement,” he added.
Mr Sanders also told The Guardian that “age is always a factor, but there are a thousand factors. Some people who are 80 or more have more energy than people who are 30.
“I would hope that we will fight ageism as much as we fight sexism and racism and homophobia, judge people on how they are and not simply by their age,” he said. “There are a lot of elderly people with a whole lot of experience who are very capable of doing great work.”
Asked about 2024, he told the publication, “I think what’s going to happen, is that President Biden is going to run for reelection. And if he does, I will support him”.
Ms Haley spoke about modernising America during her 2024 announcement speech.
“We’re ready. Ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past, and we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future,” she said in Charleston. “America is not past our prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs.”
