Former U.N. ambassador and 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley stressed once again that the GOP needs a new generation as charges pile on former president Donald Trump and several prominent politicians are questioned about their advancing age.
In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, Haley was asked about the superseding indictment filed by special counsel Jack Smith and whether Donald Trump ought to drop out of the race. The former South Carolina governor said the country needs to move on from Trump and added: “I’ve said that all throughout this campaign that it is time for us to have a new generation. We’ve lost — Republicans have lost the last seven out of eight popular votes for president. That’s nothing to be proud of. We should want to win the majority of Americans. We’ve got to start going with a new generation so that we can do that.”
According to Haley, media coverage of Trump’s legal troubles is impeding Republicans from getting their message out on the nuts and bolts of governing. “What I can tell you is, it’s a distraction, and frankly, the media is talking about it nonstop, but when I do these town halls, the American public is not talking to me about that,” she explained, adding that the party is seriously risking its chance to unseat President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We can’t keep living with indictments and court cases and vengeance of the past…What [the American people] want to know is how we’re going to deal with the debt and the reckless spending by Republicans and Democrats, how we’re going to have transparency in our kids’ schools and catch them back up again, how we’re going to fix a lawless border, and how we’re going to make sure that we actually start dealing with national security because America looks so weak right now,” Haley explained.
She added that Republicans owe it to the voters to talk about the future of their kids, “not how Trump’s going to defend himself.”
However, explained Haley, it’s not just Trump. “What I am saying about Mitch McConnell, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, all of them: know when to walk away,” Haley said.
“They are watching Biden right now. You see what happened with McConnell, you see what happened with Feinstein,” she added, explaining there is an urgent need for mental-competency tests for anyone over the age of 75.
Haley appeared to address the Kentucky Republican’s recent health scare in which he froze during a press conference. An aide later said the Senate minority leader was feeling light-headed. Those concerned about the advancing age of America’s leaders have also pointed to Biden and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), the latter of whom took an extended break from the upper chamber due to an illness. Pelosi, the former House speaker, has already stepped down after two decades as Democratic leader.
“We’ve got to stop electing people because we like them and they’ve been there a long time. That’s actually the problem. You need to have term limits, because we need new ideas, new solutions. We’ve got to have a new generation,” said Haley. “I hit Republicans and Democrats. We are $32 trillion in debt. We’re having to borrow money just to make our interest payments. I would love to say Biden did that to us. But Republicans did that to us, too.”
According to the former U.N. ambassador, leaders throughout the globe “watch the…the health status of other leaders.” A president needs to be energetic and active in defending the country’s national security, Haley argued.
“We have huge issues that need new solutions. We need new generational leaders. We appreciate your service. We appreciate what you’ve done. But this is why we will fight for term limits,” Haley concluded.