US First Lady says Joe Biden will never take mental competency test

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will not undergo a mental competency test, and the idea to make politicians aged over 75 take it is "ridiculous", First Lady Jill Biden said.

In February, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. In her first speech as a presidential candidate, Haley proposed a mandatory competency test for politicians aged over 75, which was considered as a jab at Biden and former president Donald Trump, Haley's competitor in the Republican primaries.

"Ridiculous... We would never even discuss something like that," Sputnik quoted Biden as telling CNN when asked if her husband would consider taking such a test if he is reelected in 2024.

The first lady pushed back on concerns over her husband's age, citing his busy travel schedule, including recent trips to Poland and Ukraine.

"How many 30-year-olds could travel to Poland, get on the train? Go nine more hours, go to Ukraine, meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy?" Biden added.

Biden turned 80 in November 2022. He was the oldest person inaugurated in the office, taking the presidential oath at the age of 78. If Biden seeks reelection in 2024 and wins the race, he will turn 86 before completing a second term as president. The president previously said that he would be upfront with the American people, telling them about his health problems if he had any.

-- BERNAMA