Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Donald Trump’s mental fitness after he falsely accused her of failing to stop the violent assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. During a campaign event, the 77-year-old former president confused Haley with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claiming she was in charge of security and had rejected assistance.
Referring to the January 6 insurrection by his supporters, Trump repeatedly mentioned Haley’s name to the crowd, stating, “Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people — soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want — they turned it down. They don’t want to talk about that.”
Haley, Trump’s top rival in the New Hampshire contest, clarified that she was not in charge of Capitol security and was not in office at the time of the incident. CNN reported her saying at a New Hampshire rally, “They’re saying he got confused, he was talking about something else. The concern I have is, I’m not saying anything derogatory, but when you’re dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this.”
In a Fox News interview on her 52nd birthday, Haley emphasized that political candidates over 75 should undergo a mental competency test. She said, “We need people at the top of their game. I’m not saying that this is a Joe Biden situation, but I’m saying, are we really going to go and have two 80-year-olds running for president?”
Trump’s claim that Pelosi or Haley declined an offer of help during the Capitol siege raised questions, but the House committee investigating the January 6 incident found no evidence of such an offer. Critics argue that Trump is aging, though he addressed the question earlier in the week by claiming to have “aced” a test of acuity by correctly identifying animals.
However, this issue has not caused significant harm to Trump, as more voters express concerns about Biden’s age and fitness, and Trump remains the overwhelming favorite among Republicans, dominating in Iowa’s presidential caucuses.
