In a recent political development, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley raised questions about former President Donald Trump’s mental fitness. This came after Trump seemed to confuse Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while discussing the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
“At a rally last night, Trump repeatedly questioned why I didn’t take security measures during the Capitol riots and why I didn’t handle January 6 better. I wasn’t even in DC on January 6, nor was I in office then,” Haley clarified. “It’s being suggested that he was confused, that he was actually referring to Nancy Pelosi. He mentioned me multiple times in that context,” added the former South Carolina governor.
Addressing a crowd of voters in Keene, New Hampshire, Haley expressed her concerns about the mental fitness of a potential president. “I’m not making derogatory remarks, but when dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t afford to question someone’s mental fitness,” she stated.
Trump, at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, had said, “They never report the crowd on January 6. You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley … did you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it? All of it, because of lots of things, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security, we offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, national guards, whatever they want. They turned it down.”
Later, Trump defended his cognitive abilities, claiming, “A few months ago I took a cognitive test my doctor gave me … and I aced it. I feel my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago.”
However, Trump’s claim that the speaker of the House is responsible for US Capitol security is inaccurate, as previously fact-checked by CNN. Haley, in a Fox News interview, emphasized the need for mentally fit leaders. “I’m not saying that this is a Joe Biden situation, but are we really going to have two eighty-year-olds running for president?” she questioned.
In the run-up to Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, Haley, 52, has been highlighting her age gap with Trump, 77, and President Joe Biden, 81. She has also been advocating for term limits and mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.
Since the beginning of 2023, Haley and her allies have spent nearly $28.6 million on advertising in New Hampshire, while Trump and his allies have spent about $14.4 million. However, in recent weeks, the gap in advertising spending between Haley and Trump has been closing.
Trump’s campaign has been treating Haley as a significant threat in New Hampshire, with the former president launching a series of attacks on social media and at a state rally.
This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.