Nikki Haley gets pilloried for her glaring error and 'hypocrisy' in calling for politicians' cognitive tests
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) is facing criticism for her latest suggestion which suggests a glaring double standard. Speaking to Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody, Haley was asked about 78-year-old President Joe Biden's mental health.
The 49-year-old, who is also the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, expressed concern as she suggested that a provision should be introduced to require older elected officials to undergo cognitive testing to ensure they are competent enough to hold office.
"Well what I'll tell you is, rather than making this about a person, we seriously need to have a conversation that if you're gonna have anyone above a certain age in a position of power — whether it's the House, whether it's the Senate, whether it's vice president, whether it's president — you should have some sort of cognitive test," Haley said. "Just like you have to show your tax returns."
The problem, of course, as many observers pointed out, is that there isn't such a universal requirement for officials to release their tax returns. There has been a norm since Richard Nixon that presidents and vice presidents voluntarily released their tax returns in the name of transparency. But despite pledging to do so, former President Donald Trump, who Haley served under, infamously never released his returns.
"And right now, let's face it, we've got a lot of people in leadership positions that are old. And that's not being disrespectful. That's a fact," Haley added. "And when it comes to that, this shouldn't be partisan. We should seriously be looking at the ages of the people that are running our country and understand if that's what we want."
Nikki Haley proposes making any politician above a "certain age" in the House, Senate or White House pass \u201csome sort of cognitive test.\u201d\n\n"Like just like you have to show your tax returns."pic.twitter.com/maGkY2nNRg— The Recount (@The Recount) 1636120356
Haley quickly prompted a tidal wave of reactions as many Twitter users quickly pointed out her error and "hypocrisy." While some noted that she didn't have the same concerns about former President Donald Trump, others also reminded her that he still has yet to disclose his tax returns.
Irony is dead.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1456620468195180549\u00a0\u2026— Carl Quintanilla (@Carl Quintanilla) 1636123700
(So who's gonna tell Haley about the 45th president, who she served under, and his tax returns?)— The Recount (@The Recount) 1636120620
"Just like you have to show your tax returns?"pic.twitter.com/HJY195hRjr— Jim Witt (@Jim Witt) 1636120565
Josh Hawley is 41\nMarjorie Taylor Greene 47\nMadison Cawthorn 26\nLauren Boebert 34\nTed Cruz 50\nJim Jordan 57\nDevin Nunes 48\n\nWhereas we expect mental faculty to diminish with advanced age, being young is not equivalent to being all there either.— Okey Mor Taking a stand for justice. (@Okey Mor Taking a stand for justice.) 1636123830
Dead\u2026 and apparently buried, planted over, fossilised and awaiting discovery by some future linguistic archaeologist. Of course, without proper context, the irony will be lost on them, too.— Levi Gwaltney (@Levi Gwaltney) 1636124095
Nikki Haley says older candidates running for office should have to take a cognitive test, \u201cJust like you have to show your tax returns\u201d. Except, you don\u2019t have to show your tax returns, ask Trump. Maybe Nikki Haley needs to take a cognitive test.pic.twitter.com/dAEHK26IiK— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1636101992
How is it possible that so many people don\u2019t realize how terribly hypocritical they are from one moment to the next?— Drew Feinberg (@Drew Feinberg) 1636132802
