US First Lady criticizes idea of ​​’aptitude test’ for elderly politicians

Washington:

America’s first lady doctor Jill Biden on Monday termed as “ridiculous” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s proposal that candidates over the age of 75 should undergo a mental fitness test.

“Ridiculous,” Dr. Biden told CNN in an interview when asked about such an offer from Indian American Haley, who announced her presidential run on February 14.

Haley’s proposal has attracted national attention, but has been criticized by leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Haley, a two-term governor of South Carolina, is 51, while President Joe Biden will be 82 at the time of his inauguration in 2025 if he is re-elected in the November 2024 election.

Biden, who is already the oldest president in the history of the United States of America, is yet to announce his 2024 decision but is likely to announce it soon. Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, is only a few years younger than Biden.

In her presidential campaign so far, Haley has pitched for youth and a new generation of leadership. When asked about such an offer from a Republican politician, Dr. Jill Biden said, “We will never, ever have a discussion like this.”

“How many 30-year-olds can travel to Poland, get on a train, go another nine hours, go to Ukraine, meet President (Volodymyr) Zelensky? Look at the man. Look what he’s doing . Look what he continues to do every day,” she said, pointing to the president’s recent trips to Ukraine and Poland.

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