GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley fired back at Bernie Sanders on Tuesday after the progressive senator blasted her plan for mandatory competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.
Haley told a group of her supporters at a campaign event in Iowa that Sanders, 81, is why she called for the plan in the first place.
“Bernie Sanders lost his mind because I asked for that. He is exactly the reason we need it,” she said drawing laughter from the audience, according to the Hill.
Haley also pointed to two other Democratic lawmakers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Maxine Waters as other reasons why she called for a competency test. She did not name any Republican lawmaker who are in the same age group or older than their Democratic counterparts.
Sanders has been a critic of Haley’s plan, calling it “absurd” and ageist.
“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,” Sanders said on Sunday. “Look at what they do, what they believe in. What are they fighting for? What does Donald Trump stand for? Do you believe in that? Well, I certainly don’t. What does Joe Biden stand for? What is he doing? Look at him in that way, not on age.”
