CNN’s Don Lemon Says Nikki Haley Is Past Her ‘Prime’ At 51—Here’s What Research Says

CNN anchor Don Lemon caused a stir on CNN This Morning when he suggested GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was no longer in her “prime.” Haley is 51. Research indicates that Lemon is mostly wrong.

Haley was calling out older presidential candidates earlier this week. In a speech declaring her presidential candidacy, Haley said, “America is not past our prime—it’s just that our politicians are past theirs.” She called for “mandatory mental competency tests” for politicians older than 75.

The CNN anchors were discussing Haley’s call for mental competency tests for older politicians. “This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said during the show Thursday. “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. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime, is in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”

Co-host Poppy Harlow asked Lemon, “Prime for what?” which is the key question. Prime for child-bearing or prime for running a country? Presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old to run for office, so it would be tough to be in your prime during your 20s.

One research study published in Psychology of Women Quarterly found that the 50s is a woman’s prime of life, indicating that Haley is indeed in her prime. Better health, empty nests and higher income distinguished the 50s from the earlier and later periods of life for women. Women in their 50s also showed greater confidence, involvement and breadth of personality.

Since the CNN discussion surrounded politics, a candidate’s prime may be defined by voter preferences. Again, Haley appears to be in her prime. One telling study found that male and female candidates in their 40s and 50s are preferred over candidates in their 30s, 60s and 70s. The researchers did not study candidates in their 80s.

When it comes to cognitive and creative ability, yet another study suggests the 50s decade may be the prime time for some. The study examined 31 Nobel Prize winners in economics to determine when they made their most significant contributions. Those whose work was more conceptual peaked at age 25, but those whose work was more experimental peaked in their mid-50s.

To be fair, some cognitive abilities peak at a younger age. Speed in processing information peaks at age 18 or 19, and short-term memory starts to drop off at around age 25. However, other abilities, like evaluating other people’s emotional states, peak in our 40s and 50s. In addition, wisdom, which refers to a deep understanding of different aspects of life, also peaks in midlife.

Perhaps when Lemon referred to Haley not being in her prime, he was referring to her fertility or physical strength. In this case, he’d be correct. The peak for both men and women is much younger for these areas. Both men’s and women’s fertility starts to decline in their mid-30s, but women’s fertility declines much more rapidly than men’s. When it comes to muscle mass, physical strength and flexibility, men and women peak in their late 20s to early 30s. But none of these skills are required for a nation’s leader.

Lemon’s comment is not just offensive because of Haley’s relatively young age but because women are devalued more than men as they age. When women’s bodies are no longer functioning at their peak and women are past their reproductive age, women are thought to be past their prime. This doesn’t happen to men in their fifties.

Lemon cited Google GOOG as his source for women’s prime, suggesting the search engine would back up his assertions, “If you Google ‘when is a woman in her prime?’” Ironically, a Google search on that question now reveals news about Don Lemon’s comment. Whether or not you appreciate Nikki Haley’s politics, it’s tough to argue that she isn’t in her prime as a presidential candidate.