Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, on Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead,” complimented Democrats on being “very smart to put in a younger candidate” in the 2024 presidential race.
Host Jake Tapper said, “I have to start with the news from Sunday of President Biden dropping out of the presidential race. You have always been skeptical that he could last for another four years in office, were you surprised?”
Haley said, “I wasn’t surprised, and I didn’t take happiness in it. You know, I mean, I think through the whole campaign, I fought for mental competency tests. I wasn’t doing it to be disrespectful, I wasn’t doing it to be mean. I was doing it because I think it’s not just Joe Biden, there isn’t issue that we have in D.C. where people will go into office and they won’t let go and then their staffers and their family keep propping them up and it’s a problem for the American people.”
Tapper said, “You also have said, if we nominate Donald Trump, I guarantee you we’re going to have President Kamala Harris and you’ve said, whichever party the retire its 80-year-old candidate first is going to be the one that wins the election. Do you still feel that way?”
She continued, “I think that look, the Democrats are very smart to put in a younger candidate. I think that that’s what America has craved. But I think what you look at as they put in the weakest candidate they could put in.”
Haley added, “So the fact that they put in Kamala Harris — kudos for putting in someone younger. The fact that you put in one of the most liberal politicians, you probably could have put in, it’s going to be an issue.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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