Nikki Haley FIRES BACK At Don Lemon After CNN Host’s Controversial ‘Past Her Prime’ Remarks: ‘You Don’t Have To Be 80 To Be In DC!’

Nikki Haley fired back at Don Lemon this week following the embattled CNN host’s controversial remarks regarding the newly announced GOP presidential candidate’s age, RadarOnline.com has learned.

During a town hall event just outside Des Moines, Iowa on Monday, Haley spoke about Lemon’s controversial remarks and indicated her age is a vital asset that makes her a prime candidate for next year’s presidential election.

The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor also spoke about how her age differentiates her from the only other GOP candidate to have announced their candidacy for the 2024 presidential election: former President Donald Trump.

“Because I don’t think you have to be 80 to be in D.C.,” Haley responded when asked about the differences between her and Trump.

But Haley also faced scrutiny for failing to provide any substantial policy differences between herself and her former boss and spoke highly of ex-President Trump and her time serving as his ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 to December 2018.

“President Trump is my friend. I think he was the right president at the right time,” she told the Iowa crowd on Monday evening. “I was proud to serve in his Cabinet.”

“All the media and everybody wants to talk about is the past,” Haley continued. “We need to leave the status quo in the past and we’ve got work to do.”

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Haley first came under fire last week when she called for mental capacity tests for lawmakers who are older than 75 years of age.

Two days after Haley released her campaign announcement video on Tuesday, February 14, Lemon caused a firestorm on CNN This Morningwhen he claimed the 51-year-old presidential candidate is not “in her prime.”

“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon commented, angering cohosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime.”

“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime,” he continued. “Sorry, when a woman is in her prime is in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”

Lemon was temporarily taken off the air following his remarks regarding Haley’s age and isn’t expected to return to CNN This Morning until completing “formal training” resulting from his controversial comments.

“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn,” CNN CEO Chris Licht announced in a memo issued Monday night. “We take this situation very seriously.”

Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg echoed Lemon’s remarks regarding Haley’s age during an episode of The View on Monday.

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Although Goldberg did not touch upon whether Haley is in her prime or not, the talk show host slammed the newly announced presidential candidate for claiming the White House needs a “new generation of leadership.”

“You’re not a new generation. You’re 51,” Goldberg, 67, said. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s not a new generation. She may be younger than most of those people, but her rhetoric is the same. She’s saying the same BS,” she continued. “I love the young kid, but the only way you get younger people to run is if you’re out there talking to people saying ‘run.’ We’re not going to vote for people who don’t have our best interests at heart.”