It seems Donald Trump is attempting to one-up his only current, official challenger in the race for the Republican 2024 nomination after newly-announced candidate Nikki Haley called for all presidential candidates over the age of 75 to stand subject to a mental competency assessment — a relatively clear shot at 76-year-old Donald Trump —seemingly prompting the scandal-ridden former president to call for a physical fitness test in response.
Haley, the only person to officially throw their hat in the ring against Donald Trump thus far, has generated a lot of chatter this week after she publicly challenged political candidates of advanced age to submit to a thorough assessment of their mental competency ahead of their presidential candidacy. Observers were quick to note that while this was obviously a potshot at 80-year-old current President Joe Biden, Nikki’s suggestion also took clear aim at her GOP challenger, former President Trump, whose age also surpasses her suggested cut-off, and who has long bragged about passing a cognitive test with flying colors that’s actually meant to assess individuals for signs of dementia.
Trump has since taken to his struggling Truth Social platform with what appears to be a response to Haley’s suggestion. The former president has seemingly been avoidant of launching an out-and-out attack on Haley thus far and his post indicated as much when the beginning of his remarks appeared to somewhat agree with his political challenger, writing, “ANYBODY running for the Office of President of the United States should agree to take a full & complete Mental Competency Test simultaneously (or before!) with the announcement that he or she is running.”
But Trump was sure to add his own twist on the matter when he proceeded to add that he believes candidates should also submit to physical fitness testing as well: “but to a somewhat lesser extent, agree to a test which would prove that you are physically capable of doing the job. Being an outstanding President requires great mental acuity & physical stamina. If you don’t have these qualities or traits, it is likely you won’t succeed. MAGA!”
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Frankly, it’s highly unlikely that either of these suggestions will actually be implemented against presidential candidates, but the mere notion of Trump submitting to a physical fitness test is certainly something I would pay good money to see.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
