During an interview with an American network, the daughter of former US President Ronald Reagan, Patti Davis, admitted that the presidential candidates should “probably” be given a cognitive test before running for the position.
“Probably. Yeah. I mean, in just what we know about what age can do. It doesn’t always do that, but it would probably be a good idea,” Davis said while promoting her new book. “My father was 77 when he left office after two terms. It seems so young now, doesn’t it?”
US President Joe Biden is 81-years-old, and former President Donald Trump is 77-years-old. If either Biden or Trump were to be elected to office again, they would both be in their 80s by the end of their presidential terms.
The former first daughter, whose father was president from 1981 until 1989, also said that if he were alive today he would be “appalled” by today’s politics.
“It was more civilized,” said Davis of her father’s political time.
Reagan has remained somewhat of a legacy figure for the Republican Party, and Trump’s slogan 'Make America Great Again' was based on a Reagan catchphrase during his 1980 presidential campaign bid.
“He didn’t understand lack of civility, he didn’t understand attacking another person. I mean, he could be pretty pointed in what he would say about someone else but he didn’t understand cruelty, and that’s what we’re dealing with now," she continued.
“I think he would be really scared for our democracy,” the actress and author added. Davis did not mention Trump by name, but she has been a sharp critic of the Republican in the past.
“Fear morphs into anger, it just does, it’s not sustainable. We don’t want to be afraid, we don’t mind so much being angry. And there are people on the political stage and on the public front who understand very well that synergy between fear and anger and who are masterful at exploiting it.”