Breaking: Jill Biden Responds to Call for Mental Competency Test
First Lady Jill Biden called the idea of requiring politicians over the age of 75 to take mental competency tests “ridiculous” during an interview with CNN that is set to air on Monday.
Biden was asked if her husband President Joe Biden would consider taking a cognitive test if he is re-elected.
She responded, “We would never even discuss something like that.”
Jill Biden on mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75: “Ridiculous”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) March 6, 2023
The first lady cited Biden’s recent trip to Europe as evidence that he has the stamina to lead the country.
“How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy?” she told CNN.
“So, look at the man. Look what he’s doing. Look what he continues to do each and every day,” she added.
Biden has been dogged for years by speculation about his cognitive health.
Jill Biden said she would be “all for” her husband running for re-election in 2024, but said, “It’s Joe’s decision.”
“And we support whatever he wants to do. If he’s in, we’re there. If he wants to do something else, we’re there, too,” she concluded.
The first lady is the latest politician to address the issue of competency tests for leaders over the age of 75.
Former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley called for such requirements when she announced her 2024 presidential bid last month.
“In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire,” she said. “We’ll have term limits for Congress. And mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”
Nikki Haley calls for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.” pic.twitter.com/Plgxi3Pqhn
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 15, 2023
She added, the country is ready to “move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past, and we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future.”
“America is not past our prime,” she concluded. “It’s just that our politicians are past theirs.”
Biden would be 82 if he were re-elected in 2024.
Haley’s comments were also interpreted as being aimed at former President Donald Trump, who is 75 and has also announced his 2024 presidential bid.
Biden’s interview will air on CNN at 9 p.m. ET on Monday as part of a network special called “CNN Primetime: Jill Biden Abroad.”
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