CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley sought to underscore President Joe Biden‘s age during her first address as a 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
“America is not past our prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs,” Haley told supporters Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina.
NIKKI HALEY TESTS WHETHER GOP WANTS ‘NEW GENERATION’ OF LEADERSHIP IN EARLY ANNOUNCEMENT
“We won’t win the fight for the 21st century if we keep trusting politicians from the 20th century,” she added.
She also proposed term limits for Congress and a mandatory competency test for politicians more than 75 years of age, which would include her only declared major Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
In her speech, Haley implored Republican primary voters to turn the page on the past and put their trust in “a new generation,” criticizing Biden and indirectly challenging Trump as she touted her domestic and foreign policy credentials.
“We’re ready, ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past,” she said. “If you’re tired of losing, then put your trust in a new generation. And if you want to win — not just as a party, but as a country — then stand with me.”
Her remarks similarly emphasized her distaste for “woke” politics, contending it was a symptom of a “lack of pride in our country” and “lack of trust in our leaders.”
“Take it from me, the first female minority governor in history: America is not a racist country,” she said. “This self-loathing is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic.”
In her announcement video, released Tuesday, Haley spoke of being “strong” and “proud,” fiscal responsibility, and securing the border.
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Haley now travels to the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire as Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) launches his own national listening tour in Charleston on Thursday. Other potential candidates include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Govs. Chris Sununu and Glenn Youngkin, and former Govs. Larry Hogan and Asa Hutchinson.
