Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday said President Biden and former President Trump should take mental acuity tests to show the American people whether ‘they’re at the top of their game,’ adding that she’d have ‘no problem’ taking such a test herself.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former United Nations ambassador, made the remarks during an appearance on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ when asked when she planned to take a cognitive assessment after she made mental fitness a signature issue of the 2024 presidential election.
‘I have no problem taking it,’ Haley responded. ‘And what I’ve said is we need to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75. I don’t care if we do it for 50 and up.’
Haley said Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, and his blunders that followed in the wake of the report suggest that the president is ‘diminished.’ Haley suggested Trump has had similar memory issues but did not give any specific examples.
‘But what happened with Joe Biden this week, and what we’ve seen with Donald Trump is another example of why we have to face the reality of the fact that when you get to those ages, you get diminished,’ she said. ‘These are people making decisions on our national security. These are people making decisions on the future of our economy. We need to know they’re at the top of their game.’
Biden, who is America’s oldest sitting president, is 81 years old and Trump is 77.
According to Hur’s report released Thursday, Biden could not remember key details of his own life – such as when he was vice president – during interviews with investigators.
The investigators, who regarded Biden as a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,’ recommended no criminal charges against the president.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.
