Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said former President Trump had to be questioned on whether he was “mentally fit to do this” after he appeared to confuse her with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, several times, at a rally on Friday night.
The remarks came as both candidates campaign in New Hampshire.
At a rally at Concord, New Hampshire, on Friday night, Trump mentioned Haley’s name at least four times while discussing the riots on January 6, 2021, insisting she was “in charge of security” at the Capitol.
The former president appeared to have confused Haley with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi—a frequent target of his anger and criticism both during and after his presidency.
Haley addressed the gaffe to another crowd of New Hampshire primary voters in Keene on Saturday night, noting “I wasn’t even in D.C. on January 6th, I wasn’t even in office then.”
Haley went on to question Trump’s mental capabilities, telling the crowd: “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 this.”
At another rally on Saturday night, Trump dismissed Haley’s remarks and bragged again about acing a “cognitive test,” which experts say is a relatively simple exam.
Donald Trump won the 2024 Iowa Caucus last Monday, riding to a dominating victory after securing 52% of the votes. Haley came in third place with 19%, netting her four delegates at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Despite the weak showing in Iowa, Haley and her supporters insist she is still capable of winning in the party’s second primary in New Hampshire. Although Trump reportedly had only a single-digit lead before the primary, the former president’s lead appears to be growing since his Iowa Caucus victory.