Jill Biden is pushing back on GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, for proposing that all politicians over the age of 75 be required to take a mental competency test to qualify to serve in public office.
The first lady told CNN that her husband, who would be 82 at the time of inauguration if elected for a second term, would ‘never even discuss’ taking such a test.
President Joe Biden, 80, has come under fire ever since taking office for his rise in verbal and physical fumbles – leading to speculation that he is not physically and/or mentally fit for the presidency.
Haley, a Trump-era Ambassador to the U.N. and former South Carolina governor, said that she believes elderly politicians should be required to undergo mentally competency testing to avoid speculations like this in the future.
‘Ridiculous,’ the first lady said in response to the proposal during an interview with CNN, which will air Monday evening as part of a ‘Jill Biden Abroad’ special.
‘We would never even discuss something like that,’ she added when asked if her husband would considering taking such a test.
‘How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky?’ Jill said in proving her husband’s stamina and fitness for the demands of the presidency.
‘So, look at the man. Look what he’s doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day.’
Some have attacked Haley for her proposal, specifically pointing to the fact that she made the age 75 when the frontrunner GOP presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, is 76.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent senator, slammed it as ‘absurd’ and slammed the proposal as ‘ageist.’
‘You know, we are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism,’ SAnders told Margaret Brennan during an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation last Sunday.
‘Trust people, look at people and say, you know, this person is competent, this person is not competent,’ Sander continued. ‘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.’
Biden has not yet announced whether he will run for reelection in 2024, but has repeatedly hinted that he intends to be on the ballot along with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jill says she supports her husband running for a second term, but also said it’s up to him.
‘It’s Joe’s decision,’ she said. ‘And we support whatever he wants to do. If he’s in, we’re there. If he wants to do something else, we’re there too.’
Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during his annual physical exam last month at Walter Reed Medical Center.
‘The biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma. All cancerous tissue was successfully removed,’ White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo on Friday.
He said no further treatment is needed, but he will continue to conduct regular skin screenings as part of his ongoing health care.
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
