Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley responded to mounting concerns over Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s health on Sunday, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he has “been a great leader,” but “we’ve got to have a new generation” of elected officials.
“Know when to walk away,” she said to anchor Margaret Brennan’s assertion that McConnell intends to serve out his term.
Haley joined Brennan on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where she made the comments just days after McConnell froze for 40 seconds at a press briefing before being escorted off the podium. The episode has been widely reported as a “medical incident” and has ramped up scrutiny around the politician’s ability to serve — a chorus that Haley joined on Sunday while emphasizing the importance of term limits.
Haley argued that McConnell’s incident is just one example of concerning events that impact specifically the aging members of government. Term limits and proposed competency tests for officials of a certain age have all been major talking points within Haley’s fledgling 2024 presidential campaign.
Haley did, however, praise McConnell for his work in Congress saying, “I think Mitch McConnell did an amazing job when it comes to our judiciary. When we look at the judges, when we look at the Supreme Court, he’s been a great leader.”
“But I do think,” Haley continued, “we’ve got to stop electing people because they look good in the picture or they hold a baby well. 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.”
And her comments were not just concerning McConnell. She’s previously raised questions about Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi — and Haley name checked them again here.
“All of them: know when to walk away, know when to walk away,” said Haley.
“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,” she said.
Watch the “Face the Nation” segment in the video above.
