Donald Trump has again drawn scrutiny for boasting about his cognitive testing, telling a recent audience that he has taken three exams and 'aced each one.' His remarks, delivered at a White House business summit, reignited debate over how he portrays these screenings and what they are actually designed to measure.
The US President framed the tests as proof of mental sharpness and suggested that no other president has undergone similar evaluations, while critics pointed out that such screenings are typically used to check for early signs of cognitive impairment rather than to assess intelligence.
Trump hosted a business summit at the White House on Monday, where he highlighted his willingness to take mental evaluations and claimed this set him apart from other presidents.
'No president has ever taken a cognitive test except me. I've taken three of them,' Trump said, later adding that he had 'aced each one.' He told the audience there were 'many people in this room' he considered smart, but suggested they would not achieve a perfect score.
Trump went on to call for amandatory testing policy, saying: 'I think every person running for president should have to take acognitive test. I really do.'
He also described one of the tasks he said appeared on his exam. According to Trump, he was shown pictures of 'a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a squirrel' and asked to identify which was the squirrel.
Cognitive experts note that the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which Trump has previously said he took, uses animal-naming tasks as a basic screening tool rather than as an IQ measurement.
Trump: "No president has ever taken a cognitive test except me. I've taken three of them. One in the first administration. They're hard. The first question is easy. You have a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a squirrel. 'Which is the squirrel?'"pic.twitter.com/DfSHUcafVS
Reaction to Trump's comments was swift, with many critics emphasising that the MoCA and similar exams are used to screen for dementia or other cognitive disorders, not to rank intelligence. One social media user called it 'embarrassing that Trump brags about dementia screening,' arguing that he appeared 'confused' in treating it as a 'very hard I.Q test.'
Another commentator noted that the exam is typically recommended 'when there's reasonable cause to believe [a person's] cognitive function may be starting to fail.' A third person said it is usually given to individuals who 'show signs of impaired memory, thinking, or other brain functions,' adding that Trump's references to taking multiple tests suggested there had been 'serious concerns.'
Source: International Business Times UK
