Former President Donald Trump responded to GOP challenger and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's recent remarks calling his mental stability into question.
Trump shot back at the fellow GOP hopeful during a Monday night appearance on Fox News with host Martha MacCallum. Haley criticized Trump, who appeared to mix up the former South Carolina governor with California Rep. and then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during a Friday campaign stop, for claiming she was responsible for security during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6th, 2021.
The former President said he thought he was "a lot sharper" than Haley.
“Let’s sit down right now and take an aptitude test, and it would be my result against her result," Trump said. "She’s not gonna win, not gonna even come close to winning.”
Trump claimed to have taken two cognitive tests recently.
“I took one with Dr. Ronny, who is now a fantastic Congressman from Texas," he continued. "I took one then and I took one recently, I think the result was announced, and I aced it twice. I aced it. But I would say that I’ve actually called for a cognitive test for anybody running for president, it would be nice to have an intelligent person as president.”
Haley called his age and mental fitness into question on Saturday during her own campaign stop in New Hampshire.
"When you’re dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can’t have someone else that we question whether they’re mentally fit to do it," she told the crowd.
Haley reiterated her remarks during a Sunday appearance on ABC's Face the Nation with host Margaret Brennan.
Brennan asked if Saturday's campaign remarks were the first time she called Trump's mental fitness into question. Haley said there had been multiple gaffes during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
"He’s claimed that Joe Biden was going to get us into World War II. I’m assuming he met World War III," Haley said. "He said that he ran against President Obama. He never ran against President Obama. He says that I’m the one that kept security from the Capitol on January 6. I was nowhere near the Capitol on January 6."
"Don’t be surprised if you have someone that’s 80 in office, their mental stability is going to continue to decline," she added.
Haley said she didn't question the former president's mental stability during her time serving as the United States Ambassador during his administration, though said she attempted to curb Trump's diplomatic comments to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump and Haley will face off tonight in New Hampshire's primary.
