Nikki Haley expressed doubt about the GOP frontrunner\u2019s state of mind after he confused her with Democrat Nancy Pelosi <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has questioned rival candidate Donald Trump\u2019s mental fitness after he appeared to confuse her with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a campaign speech on Friday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many in his party, Trump has blamed Pelosi for the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, arguing she deliberately left the building under-protected despite his offer to deploy the National Guard for enhanced security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The presidential frontrunner \u201cmentioned me multiple times in that scenario,\u201d Haley told supporters at a campaign event in Keene, New Hampshire, on Saturday. \u201cThey\u2019re saying he got confused, that he was talking about something else, he\u2019s talking about Nancy Pelosi.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe concern I have is \u2013 I\u2019m not saying anything derogatory \u2013 but when you\u2019re dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can\u2019t have someone else that we question whether they\u2019re mentally fit to do this,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump \u201cmade a pretty apparent gaffe last night,\u201d Haley\u2019s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, agreed during a Bloomberg News event on Saturday, referring to the former president\u2019s apparent confusion of one of his chief Democratic nemeses with the woman he appointed to serve as ambassador to the United Nations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at Friday\u2019s rally, Trump accused his political enemies of having \u201cdestroyed all of the information\u201d from January 6 \u201cbecause of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security.\u201d He insisted that \u201cwe offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. They turned it down.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has previously claimed he warned Pelosi about the huge crowds poised to descend on Washington DC to protest the certification of then-president-elect Joe Biden\u2019s victory. The \u201cStop the Steal\u201d protest turned violent after police clashed with demonstrators, leaving four people dead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 77, Trump is just a few years younger than his chief rival, incumbent leader Biden. He insisted on Saturday that he had \u201caced\u201d a recent cognitive test, while his senior campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, downplayed the Haley\/Pelosi mix-up, calling it a \u201cdistinction without a difference \u2013 it\u2019s Nikki and Nancy\u201d in comments to reporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump handily won the Iowa caucuses earlier this month and continues to dominate the party\u2019s nominating contest with a double-digit lead in most polls. Haley, however, has seen her poll numbers surge with support from Republican power brokers who don\u2019t want to see Trump return to the White House, elevating her to second place ahead of New Hampshire\u2019s Tuesday primary vote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The former South Carolina governor has called for \u201cmental competency tests\u201d for aging politicians in a dig at both Trump and Biden. The latter\u2019s own abundance of incoherent \u201cgaffes\u201d have senior Democrats concerned about his chances of winning \u2013 and surviving \u2013 a second term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n