Nikki Haley on Saturday questioned whether or not Donald Trump is mentally able to serving as president once more after he repeatedly appeared to confuse her with former U.S. Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a marketing campaign speech.
As she campaigned in Keene, New Hampshire, Haley referenced Trump’s speech the night time earlier than, wherein he mistakenly asserted that Haley was in command of Capitol safety on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the constructing looking for to cease the certification of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump first mentioned that Haley turned down safety provided by his administration on Jan. 6 after which once more talked about Haley, including, “They destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it.”
Trump, 77, has accused Pelosi of turning down safety he says his administration provided, however a particular Home committee empaneled to probe the assault discovered no proof to assist that declare.
“They’re saying he got confused, that he was talking about something else, he’s talking about Nancy Pelosi,” Haley mentioned on Saturday.
“He mentioned me multiple times in that scenario. The concern I have is — I’m not saying anything derogatory — but when you’re dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do this,” Haley mentioned. “We can’t.”
Talking at a Bloomberg Information discussion board on Saturday in Manchester, Haley marketing campaign supervisor Betsy Ankney referenced Haley’s remarks and mentioned Trump “made a pretty apparent gaffe last night.”
“It’s a distinction without a difference. It’s Nikki and Nancy,” Trump marketing campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita mentioned to reporters Saturday night time. “What’s the difference?”
At his rally Saturday night time in Manchester, Trump mentioned that he took a cognitive take a look at and “aced it.”
“I’ll let you know when I go bad. I really think I’ll be able to tell you,” he added. “I feel my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Is that possible?”
Trump, who won Monday’s Iowa caucuses and is the present GOP front-runner, picked Haley to function his United Nations ambassador and has ramped up his criticism of her marketing campaign because the 12 months’s votes have gotten underway.
On Saturday, he stumped in New Hampshire with a sturdy complement of backers from Haley’s dwelling state of South Carolina, together with Gov. Henry McMaster and several other U.S. Home members. A day earlier, Sen. Tim Scott — who ended his personal 2024 bid in November and was appointed to the Senate by Haley in 2012 — endorsed Trump over Haley in a rousing call-and-response speech of his personal in New Hampshire.
Since getting into the GOP race almost a 12 months in the past, Haley, 52, has advocated for “mental competency tests” for older politicians, a swipe on the ages of each Trump and Biden.
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Related Press writers Michelle L. Value and Jill Colvin in Manchester, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
