Nikki Haley was trying to ‘undermine Trump’ when she called for 'cognitive tests': political analyst

When former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said this week that a "cognitive test" should be required for older politicians, most people interpreted it as an attack on President Joe Biden.

However, MSNBC political analyst Nick Confessore says Haley — rumored as a 2024 GOP presidential candidate — may also have been attempting to undermine her former boss, Donald Trump.

Confessore, a New York Times reporter, noted that Haley has been "trying to figure out how to run for president against Donald Trump without seeming to run for president against Donald Trump."

"I actually saw this comment — you know, it's being taken as an attack directly on Biden, and perhaps it is — but I see it in a way as a subtle undermining of Donald Trump," Confessore said, noting that Haley compared a cognitive test requirement to the expectation that candidates release their tax returns.

"She mentioned taxes, she mentioned an IQ test basically — a senility test — and her message overall was really, 'It's time for the next generation to take over, it's time to pass the torch,'" he added. "So I see her as sort of trying to undermine Trump and Biden at the same time."

"If she was trying to suggest that Donald Trump take a cognitive test and turn over his taxes, she's welcome to come here and make those points anytime," host Nicole Wallace responded.

Watch the full segment:

MSNBC on Nikki Haleywww.youtube.com