'It's time for younger generation': Republican Nikki Haley to Biden in bitter b'day wish

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley took the opportunity to point out Joe Biden’s old age as the US President turned 80 on Sunday. In a clip shared on Twitter, Haley’s birthday wish for Biden noted that the country needs a significantly younger leader. 

The clip shows the erstwhile governor delivering a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition's (RJC) Annual Leadership Meeting on Saturday. During the address, Haley said: "We have to look in the mirror. The Republican Party has lost the popular vote in the last seven out of eight presidential elections. That's saying something. We're behind the times.”

She further added that Republicans need “to be honest with ourselves. Joe Biden turns 80-years-old tomorrow. Happy birthday Mr. President, but it's time for a younger generation to lead across the board." Haley, in her speech, also touched upon the US midterm elections, and said that the polls’ outcome has made her more ready than ever to "bring strength back to our country,” according to Newsweek.

Biden's old age serves as key argument for Republicans

This isn’t the first time that a Republican has taken digs at the president. Last week, when Biden met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Haley called the meeting a “wasted opportunity” which could have focussed more on matters of grave importance, instead of striking a deal. 

"It's laughable Biden thinks he can strike a deal with the world's largest polluter on climate change. We need to focus on holding Communist China accountable for COVID, fentanyl, aggression toward Taiwan, and the Uyghur genocide. What a wasted opportunity,” she wrote on Twitter. 

Republicans have often used the age factor against Biden to make arguments about his presidential performance. However, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has swiftly clapped back at it, by pointing out that former US Donald Trump, who recently announced his presidential bid for the year 2024, is not so far behind in terms of age. “Just throwing out there.  For everyone who is arguing the reason @POTUS shouldn’t run again is because of his age…you know Donald Trump is 76 right?” Psaki said in a tweet on November 14.