The View Misses Mark on Nikki Haley 'Ageist' Hypocrisy

Nikki Haley does not appear to have a path to the Republican nomination. She never did.

Just 27% of voters who backed Haley in the New Hampshire primary were registered Republicans.

The rejection of neoconservative dogma is partly why an outsider like Donald Trump rose atop the party in the first place.

Yet in a last-ditch effort, Haley has resorted to dinging the ages of Donald Trump, 77, and Joe Biden, 81.

Haley recently launched an ad in which she exclaims, “I’ll just say it: Biden’s too old."

She took a more passive jab at Trump's age last week:

“My parents are up in age, and I love them dearly. But when you see them hit a certain age, there is a decline. That’s a fact — ask any doctor, there is a decline.”

Using age as a political tool has caused disagreement in the media.

CNN anchor Abby Phillip declared the tactic “smart."

“As Nikki Haley put it, I think it’s actually such a smart way to put it, maybe the first party to let go of their 80-year-old might be the victor, but who’s gonna be the one to move first?” Phillip said during CNN’s coverage of Tuesday night’s New Hampshire primary.

Sunny Hostin on The View called Haley's approach "hypocritical."

"The other thing that I find her to be hypocritical about is she went off because Don Lemon said that she was older, that she was past her prime," commented Hostin on Thursday.
"Then she starts attacking Joe Biden and Donald Trump on their age. She's an ageist, yet she was offended when someone talked about her age. Hypocrite!"

Hostin references Haley sucking up sympathy last year when then-CNN host Don Lemon said Haley was past her prime, as a woman over 50.

“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” Lemon said. “When a woman is considered to be in her prime — in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”

Is Haley a hypocrite?

On the topic of race, yes.

Two weeks ago, she said racism never existed. Last week, she framed herself as a victim of racism growing up: "We were the only Indian family in our small southern town. I was teased every day for being brown."

But not here, on the topic of ageism.

Let us explain:

CHARLESTON, USA - FEBRUARY 15: Stand for America PAC and Nikki Haley, the former two-term conservative governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the UN, delivers a special announcement on her vision for a strong and proud America in Charleston SC, United States on February 15, 2023 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Lemon's comments about Haley's age reeked of a bitter man with disdain for having to share a studio with two women as part of his demotion.

Haley's comments about the ages of Trump and Biden are harder to dismiss.

There is a stark difference between saying someone is damaged goods after turning 40 and questioning the capabilities of someone in their 80s, as Trump and Biden will both be by 2028.

Americans -- both men and women -- tend to be at the heights of their professional careers in their 40s and 50s.

Most Americans are retired by the time they are 80.

Biden's inability to speak coherently or form a sophisticated argument adds validity to the statement above.

Of course, there are outliers.

Trump does not seem as bogged down by age. At least not yet.

However, that doesn't mean Trump's age is a bright spot in his candidacy. It's not.

Haley's age, 52, is not a concern. The median age at inauguration for incoming U.S. presidents is 55 years.

Haley is warmongering at heart. Her intentions are destructive. She would set the country backward.

But her age is a strength, in contrast to Trump and Biden.

So it's a wise strategy for Haley to zero in on one area in which she holds an objective advantage over her opponents.