Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley backed an increase in the retirement age that would be tied to life expectancy as a way to counter rising U.S. government debt, a day after her standout performance in the first GOP debate.
"We change retirement age to reflect life expectancy instead of cost of living increases. We do it based on inflation. We limit the benefits on the wealthy, and we expand Medicare Advantage plans," the former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina governor said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
The age for full retirement benefits is currently 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Haley didn't specify what age she would prefer.
Her comments follow a stronger-than-expected performance in Wednesday night's debate, in which Haley landed a number of pointed jabs at her rivals which could prompt donors and voters to take another look at her.
Haley has struggled to gain traction and lure donors. She's polling in fifth place — at just 3.2% — in the Real Clear Political polling average.
"We're getting support, it hasn't stopped since the debate was over last night," Haley said in the interview.
Haley has taken an unusual position of blaming her own party for its role in driving federal debt and again Thursday criticized her rivals for the nomination, including former President Donald Trump, saying they have failed to level with the American people.
"You've got multiple candidates on that stage that said they wouldn't touch entitlements," she said. "Any candidate that says they're not going to touch entitlements means that they're basically going to go into office and then leave America bankrupt."
Haley once more sought to showcase her foreign policy credentials, saying Trump "used to have it right" on Russia when she served in his administration but that he's "backtracked now and is going into where he's weak in the knees."
