01/20/2024 23:01 (current 01/20/2024 23:01)
Nikki Haley performs in New Hampshire ©APA/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has questioned the mental fitness of her party rival Donald Trump. During a Saturday appearance in New Hampshire, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations referred to a slip-up by the former president, who apparently confused her several times on Friday with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“When you have to deal with the pressures of the presidency, you can't have someone who wonders if they're mentally capable of doing it,” Haley said. Trump apparently confused Haley with Pelosi on Friday when he spoke about the storming of the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. “Nikki Haley is responsible for security. We offered her 10 thousand people – soldiers, National Guard, what you want – they refused,” Trump said.
Haley emphasized that she was not responsible for Capitol security nor was she in Washington at the time. In any case, there is no evidence to support Trump's claim that he offered help during the siege or that such an offer was rejected.
Trump, 77, and other Republicans have repeatedly attacked President Joe Biden, 81, over his age and expressed doubts about whether the Democratic Party politician is capable of serving a second term. Haley said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday that politicians at the top of the state had to be “on top of their game.” “Do we really want them to name-drop and do bad things when they are 80 years old and have to deal with Putin, Xi, Kim and North Korea?”
Trump won the early Republican primary in Iowa on Monday by a large margin over his rivals. He received 51 percent of the vote, 30 points ahead of second-place Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who received about 21 percent. Haley followed in third place with 19 percent. With his clear victory, Trump consolidated his position as the overwhelming favorite in his Republican Party's presidential race. The next primary election is Tuesday in New Hampshire.