CNN host Don Lemon has come under fire after saying on Thursday that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley "isn't in her prime" after she called for mental competency tests for politicians over 75.
Lemon, during a panel on "CNN This Morning" with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, said that "a woman is in their prime in 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s," and added, "just Google it," when pressed for more information.
The Reason's Nick Gillespie wrote on Twitter: "'If you look it up. If you Google when is a woman in her prime, it'll say 20s, 30s, 40s….' @donlemon. 'Prime for what?' @PoppyHarlowCNN. Oddly, @NikkiHaley's candidacy will last longer the less scrutinize her record (see next tweet)."
Republican New York City Councilman Joe Borelli wrote, " 'Women past their 40's are no longer in their prime.' Are people just catching up to the offensive nonsense Lemon would often say on his old primetime show that no one watched?"
The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey noted that at 51, Haley, who recently announced her candidacy for president, is "actually quite young by presidential standards," adding that former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden "were both over 70 when elected."
Lemon later apologized for his comments in a tweet saying, "The reference I made to a woman's 'prime' this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman's age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day."