Donald Trump Challenges Nikki Haley to Mental Fitness Test

_{Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Rochester Opera House on January 21, 2024, in Rochester, New Hampshire. — AFP}

Former US President Donald Trump has issued a challenge to his Republican party contender, Nikki Haley, proposing a cognitive ability test, expressing confidence in surpassing her performance. Both leaders are gearing up for the New Hampshire primary, where they will face off on Tuesday.

In a recent interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump asserted that his score on the test would exceed Haley's. The former US ambassador to the United Nations has criticized Trump's mental abilities, suggesting he is unfit for the White House. Haley has emphasized the importance of mental abilities evaluations for political leaders aged over 75 during her electoral rallies.

Trump responded by stating, "Well, I think I’m a lot sharper than her. I would do this: I would sit down right now and take an aptitude test, and it would be my result against her result, and she’s not going to win, not gonna even come close to winning."

Reiterating his call for an ability test, the 77-year-old Trump claimed to have aced two similar tests. One occurred during his time in office, and the other was more recent. He emphasized the value of cognitive tests for presidential candidates, stating, "It’d be nice to have an intelligent person be president."

Trump has been vocal about his mental abilities, referring to the cognitive assessment he took in 2018 with former White House physician Ronnie Jackson. Jackson affirmed that Trump correctly answered every question on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a test designed to detect mild cognitive impairment or early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Amidst the ongoing election campaigns, both Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden have criticized Trump for recent remarks, including a moment where he seemed to confuse Haley with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

This exchange underscores the ongoing discussion about mental fitness in political leaders, with Trump and his critics engaging in a public discourse on the matter.