Nikki Haley Suggests Mitch McConnell Should Step Aside Amid Health Concerns – Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has recommended that her fellow Republican, Mitch McConnell, the influential long-time leader of the US Senate, should step down following an incident in which he experienced physical freezing and was unable to speak at the Capitol this week.
During an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, host Margaret Brennan inquired whether Haley still had faith in McConnell’s leadership capabilities after the said episode. “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,” said Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ex-United Nations ambassador during the Donald Trump presidency.
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“But we’ve gotta stop electing people because they look good in a picture and they hold a baby well.” She also said the 90-year-old US senator Dianne Feinstein, the 80-year-old president Joe Biden, and 83-year-old congresswoman Nancy Pelosi – all of whom are prominent Democrats – should “know when to walk away”. Nikki Haley has proposed implementing congressional term limits and conducting mental acuity tests for politicians aged 75 and above.
Last week, a representative for 81-year-old Mitch McConnell stated that he plans to serve out his term, which concludes in 2026. He has been at the helm of the US Senate’s Republican conference since 2007. McConnell’s office mentioned that the senator experienced lightheadedness, but no further information has been disclosed regarding the cause of the specific episode.
Earlier this year, McConnell experienced a fall onstage, resulting in a concussion and a fractured rib, which led to his hospitalization. On another occasion, while disembarking from an airplane at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC, he had another fall during his visit to Finland. It’s worth noting that McConnell had overcome polio during his childhood, but its effects have had a lasting impact on his gait.
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Publicly, Senate Republicans have expressed their support for McConnell, but anonymously, some have expressed more cautious opinions. According to an NBC News report, one Republican senator remarked that McConnell has been increasingly relying on his lieutenants and suggested that he should consider stepping down.