Recently announced 2024 candidate for the Republican nomination for President, Nikki Haley, has announced a bold new plan for politicians of a certain age.
Business Insider reports that Haley calls for "mandatory mental competency" testing for politicians aged 75 or older. This encompasses Donald Trump, Joe Biden, one-sixth of the US Senate, and about 30 members of the House.
Business Insider spoke with 16 Senators aged 75 or older about what they think of Haley's idea. Some said they would be happy to take those tests, but others dismissed the idea.
Republican Sen. Jim Risch, who is 79 years old, said that he would have to think about the issue long before responding to something like that.
Nikki Haley is the former UN Ambassador and former Governor of South Carolina. She threw the idea in near the end of her speech announcing her candidacy for the Presidency in 2024 at the end of her speech on Wednesday. Some believe that she announced this idea as a subtle attack on both Trump and Biden.
She said, "In America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire," and "We'll have term limits for Congress, and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old."
Haley suggested that the country is NOT past its prime but that many politicians serving it are. She feels this is a significant issue regarding serving the country in the best ways possible.
Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, is backing Donald Trump in the 2024 primaries, but he said that there is merit to Haley's ideas.
Graham made the following snarky comments: "I think it should be lower," and "Anybody dumb enough to run [for president] should have to take a test."
The idea of introducing term limits is nothing new, and many politicians have taken steps to try to get this ball in motion in the past. However, this is the first time it has had such a big stage this early in a presidential primary. The idea might or might not pick up any traction. Still, interestingly, politicians are thinking outside the box and offering Americans something new to chew on as they think about how they would like to see this country take shape. There may be some exciting things that are floated in this round of primaries, and this is the first one out of the gate.
Login