Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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Former President Donald Trump will see your septuagenarian-only cognitive assessment and raise you a blanket psychological exam for politicians of all ages.
Days after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for politicians in their mid- and late-70s to be required to undergo mental testing prior to taking office, Trump declared that all politicians should face such exams.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The former president added, “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!”
Haley’s mental testing suggestion struck a major nerve across the political spectrum. Most notably, CNN host Don Lemon stated that Haley was past the age at which a woman was considered to be in her prime.
Lemon, though, was conflating a woman’s mental prime with the prime age for women to bear children. The two categories have no scientific link and in no way the same value.
Haley, who is on the campaign trail, did not respond to Trump’s remarks, but she has turned the Lemon fiasco into a campaign fundraising tool. She is now selling past-your-prime-themed beer koozies.
“For all of you who took issue with the haters saying that we are past our prime… this one’s for you,” Haley tweeted.
For all of you who took issue with the haters saying that we are past our prime… this one’s for you.
We’ve got this. 👊🏽🇺🇸
Order yours today: https://t.co/iGXhvfdzom pic.twitter.com/VIbPn6YcL7
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 21, 2023
As the race for the 2024 Republican nomination continues to warm, the two candidates currently in the field have taken different tactics in addressing their opponent.
Haley actively sought to avoid the Trump question, frequently telling interviewers she prefers not to focus on Trump.
The former president, however, is all too happy to focus on Haley as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not declared himself a candidate.
Trump has, ironically, attacked both DeSantis and Haley as being enemies of Social Security and Medicare, which is a tactic President Joe Biden is also currently using on Trump-aligned Republicans. He also accuses Haley of being against the completion of the wall at the southern border and a fan of Hillary Clinton.