US First Lady Dr Jill Biden on Monday termed "ridiculous" a proposal from Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley that candidates over the age of 75 should undergo a mental competency test. "Ridiculous," Dr Biden told CNN in an interview when asked about such a proposal from Indian American Haley, who announced her presidential run on February 14. Haley's proposal has caught national attention, but she has been slammed by leaders in both the Republican and the Democratic parties.
Haley, the two-term governor of South Carolina, is 51, while President Joe Biden would 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, has not announced his 2024 decision yet, but is most likely to announce it soon. Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is only a few years younger to Biden.
In her presidential campaign so far, Haley has pitched for youth and a new generation of leadership. "We would never even discuss something like that," Dr Jill Biden said when asked about such a proposal from the Republican politician. "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? Look at the man. Look what he is doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day," she said, pointing to a recent trip of the president to Ukraine and Poland.
