Patti Davis, President Ronald Reagan’s daughter, put age at the forefront of the 2024 election on Sunday, saying presidential candidates will likely need to take a cognitive test while running.
Before President Biden was elected, President Reagan was the oldest person to be elected president at 69 years old.
“Now, obviously, the president is in his 80s and the front-runner, former President Trump, is in his late 70s. Do you think we should administer cognitive tests to people running for the highest office in this country?” NBC host Kristen Welker asked.
“Maybe, yeah. And from what we know about what age can do, it doesn’t always do that, but maybe that’s a good idea. Well, my father was 77 when he left office after two terms. You look so young now, don’t you?” Davis replied.
Asked if he felt old at the time, Davis said he was not a broken person because of age.
“I think it was ’87, but I don’t think it was because he stood in front of the Berlin Wall and said, ‘Mr. Martin.'” Gorbachev, tear down this wall. ” So it wasn’t someone who was old and had a broken bone. I mean, yes, I thought maybe he was older because he’s my father and that’s what we think of his parents, but in the way we’re talking now. No,” she continued during a media appearance.
Mr. Welker also asked Mr. Davis what he thought President Reagan’s message would be to politicians today.
“I think he wants people to see each other as human beings. That’s why he and Gorbachev were able to do things that changed the world at the time, because they saw each other as human beings. And that’s what’s missing right now. In my opinion, these two men were put on the stage of history at a certain moment to do what God intended them to do. They “We may not have done that, you know? But I think we both had the same purpose of seeing each other as human beings,” she said.
President Reagan’s daughter also said her father would be “very appalled” by the current political situation.
“He didn’t understand lack of civility. He didn’t understand attacking others. I mean, he might say some pretty sharp things about other people, but he Didn’t understand cruelty and that’s what we’re dealing with now and I don’t think he understands that and I think he will I It’s really scary for our democracy,” Davis said.
He said the country’s divisions stem from fear, citing fear of mass shootings when Americans enter public places like churches and schools.
“We feel fear, and fear turns into anger. It just happens, and it’s not sustainable. We don’t want to be afraid, and we don’t really care about being angry. We don’t want to be afraid, and we don’t really care about being angry.” There are people on the scene who understand the synergy of fear and anger and are able to exploit it skillfully,” Davis said.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has called on Biden and Trump to undergo mental testing, as age remains a key issue in the 2024 campaign.
“But what happened this week with Joe Biden, and what we’ve seen with Donald Trump, shows why we have to face the fact that humans decline when they reach that age. “That’s another example,” she said. Special counsel’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents. “These are the people who are making decisions about our national security. They are the people who are making decisions about the future of our economy. We know they are at the top of their game. I need to know.”
