CNN's Don Lemon: 'Nikki Haley isn't in her prime, sorry'
CNN's Don Lemon argued on Thursday that 'Nikki Haley isn't in her prime' and that she should be careful about alienating older voters who could be her strongest supporters.
CNN's Don Lemon claimed Thursday that former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who just announced her 2024 bid for president, was not in her "prime" and said any discussion about age made him "uncomfortable."
"This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are something if not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn't in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s," Lemon said.
Co-host Poppy Harlow questioned what he meant by "prime" and Lemon said that it wasn't according to him.
"It depends, just like 'prime,' if you look it up. If you Google it, when is a woman in her prime, it'll say 20s, 30s and 40s," he continued. "I’m not saying I agree with that. I think she has to be careful about saying that, you know, politicians are in their prime."
CNN host Don Lemon on Thursday suggests Nikki Haley is past her prime.
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The hosts were discussing President Biden's age heading into 2024 as well as Haley, who called for a universal rule on Wednesday that would require politicians over 75 to take "mental competency tests" before running for office.
Harlow followed up again and asked if Lemon was talking about "prime for child bearing" or "prime for being president."
"I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it. Everybody at home, when is woman in her prime, it says 20s, 30s and 40s. And I’m just saying should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime and they need to be in prime when they serve. Because she wouldn't be in her prime according to," Lemon said, as Harlow finished his sentence and said, "Google."
Lemon added that Haley needed to be careful about turning off older voters who "may be her strongest set of supporters."
Nikki Haley announces her run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination at a campaign event in Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
Co-host Kaitlan Collins argued that age is a fair question and noted that voters have real concerns over the age of Biden and former President Donald Trump.
"President Biden has said over and over and over that, yeah, you should be concerned about my age. And so he actually has brought it up. But it just makes me uncomfortable when people try to use that as sort of a wedge issue," Lemon added.
President Biden speaks during a dinner reception for governors and their spouses at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Prominent Democrats have raised concerns over Biden's age as the White House has said that he intends to run for re-election in 2024.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., told the Wall Street Journal in November that it was time for Biden to retire.
"I think he’s done a wonderful job of being the bridge that he promised to be," Phillips said. "The issue is that it is just time for a new generation of leaders to participate."
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