Donald Trump has said he is against an age limit for running for US president but backed a competency test.
The frontrunner for the Republican nomination argued some of the greatest world leaders had been in their 80s.
But while Mr Trump did not think Joe Biden was too old, he said the current White House incumbent was incompetent, which was “a bigger problem”.
The 77-year-old, who is three years younger than Mr Biden, made his comments in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press, which is due to air on Sunday.
Mr Trump also said he liked “the concept” of having a woman as a running mate as he hailed Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who recently endorsed him at a rally, as “fantastic”.
Image: South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is ‘fantastic’, says Mr Trump. Pic : AP
Although a favourite in the party race to go up against Mr Biden, he is facing multiple legal cases over claims including election interference, paying “hush” money to a former porn actress and stealing classified documents.
Believing there should be a competency test rather than an age cap for the top job, Mr Trump said: “You know, I took a test two years ago, three years ago.
“And as the doctors said – and it was in front of doctors and a whole big deal at Walter Reed (hospital), which is an incredible place.
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“And I aced it. I get everything right. I’m all for testing. I frankly think testing would be a good thing.”
It was not an IQ test, but a 10-minute screening used to evaluate mild cognitive impairment or early dementia.
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Trump: ‘I would never give myself a pardon’
He added: “A lot of people say it’s not constitutional to do it. But I would be for testing, to test to make sure everyone’s just fine.
“Some of the greatest world leaders have been in their 80s. I’m not anywhere very near 80, by the way.
“I don’t think Biden’s too old.
“But I think he’s incompetent, and that’s a bigger problem.”
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Biden: I’m going to bed
Mr Trump also confirmed he left a note for Mr Biden when he left the White House in January 2021- a tradition for outgoing presidents.
He said: “I left him a note. I think it was very – it was a nice note. I took a lot of time in thinking about it.
“I’d love him to do a great job, even if it was very bad politically.”
Asked in the wide-ranging interview if he was “leaning toward a woman” to share the Republican ticket, Mr Trump said: “I like the concept, but we’re going to pick the best person.”
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Trump charges in 60 seconds
Governor Noem recently backed Mr Trump at a rally in the state, fuelling speculation she could be a likely contender for his vice presidential candidate.
He said: “She’s been a great governor.
“She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement actually. And, you know, it’s been a very good state for me.
“And certainly she’d be one of the people I’d consider, or for something else maybe. But we have a lot of people. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party.”
A “tentative” deal has been reached to end a long-running strike by writers in Hollywood.
A statement from the WGA (Writers Guild of America) said: “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.
“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional-with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
The three-year contract agreement – settled on after five days of renewed talks by negotiators WGA and the AMPTP – must be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.
The terms of the deal were not immediately announced.
The statement added: “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorized to by the Guild.
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“We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket lines this week.”
The agreement comes just five days before the strike would have become the longest in the guild’s history, and the longest Hollywood strike in decades.
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About 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job on 2 May over issues of pay, the size of writing staffs on shows and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation of scripts.
Image: SAG-AFTRA actors during their ongoing strike, in Los Angeles (file pic)
In July, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union started its own walkout which is yet to be resolved.
It said in a statement: “SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.
While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.
“We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”
A three-year-old child and two adults were fatally shot during an argument over an apparent dog sale in Florida, according to police.
Five people – including the toddler – had gone to a luxury apartment complex at around 10pm on Saturday to meet with some people about the sale of a dog, said Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief JD Stronko.
Gunfire broke out during an argument, with three victims were fatally hit and a third adult wounded.
A sharp rise in migrants crossing the US border from Mexico has pushed a Texas city to “breaking point”, its mayor has warned.
With more than 2,000 people a day seeking asylum, services in El Paso have been overwhelmed, leaving the authorities struggling to cope.
The influx has also hit the Texasborder city of Eagle Pass, where more than 8,000 migrants arrived this week, leading authorities to declare an emergency.
Image: There has been a surge in arrivals at the US border. Pic: AP
After a dip in illegal crossings following new asylum restrictions in May, the large number of recent arrivals has sparked a fresh wave of political attacks on US President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election.
It comes as Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman questioned whether international migration rules designed more than a century ago are “fit for purpose“ahead of a major speech in the US.
The UK has been dealling with its own migrant issues, with people crossing in small boats from France, while southern Italyhas also seen arrivals from North Africa.
While just six weeks ago, about 350 to 400 people were crossing into El Paso per day, this has recently surged to 2,000 or more.
Mayor Oscar Leeser told a news conference: “The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to… a breaking point right now.”
He has chartered buses to take migrants to New York, Chicago and Denver.
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Republican governors in Texas and Florida have been criticised for sending migrants to cities seen as liberal, such as New York and Sacramento.
But Mr Leeser, a Democrat, said all of the migrants on the El Paso buses were going voluntarily to the cities of their choice.
He said: “I think it’s really important to note that we have a broken immigration system.
In August, border patrol officers made 181,509 arrests on the Mexican frontier, up 37% from July, according to latest figures.
People in families with children fuelled the increase, with 93,999 arrests – the highest on record – up from 60,454 in July and 31,487 in June.
Troy Miller, acting US Customs and Border Protection chief, said: “Our operational tempo along the border has increased in response to increased encounters, and we remain squarely focused on our broader security mission and enforcing US immigration laws.”