Bernie Sanders calls Nikki Haley’s demand for politicians over 75 to take mental competency tests ‘absurd’

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Bernie Sanders has slammed Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley’s suggestion that politicians over the age of 75 should receive a mental competency test - calling it “absurd”.

Haley, 51, made the demand as she launched her campaign to win the GOP nomination and criticised 76-year-old Donald Trump and 80-year-old Joe Biden.

But Mr Sanders, who himself is 81, refuted the idea as he appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday morning.

“I think that’s absurd. We are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism,” said the US Senator from Vermont.

“Trust people, look at people and say, ‘You know, this person is competent, this person is not competent.’

“There are a lot of 40-year-olds out there who ain’t particularly competent. Older people, you know, you look at the individual, I don’t think you make a blanket statement.”

Meanwhile, Ms Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and Mr Trump’s pick as US ambassador to the United Nations, was asked about why she should be the Republican nomination as she appeared on Fox News Sunday.

“Why not me?” she replied. “You know, I am a wife of a combat veteran. I’m a mother of two children.”

And again called for term limits in US politics.

“And what I do strongly believe is the American people need options. I don’t think you have to be 80 years old to be in Washington DC,” she said.