President Trump has claimed he “aced” all three cognitive tests administered to him during his first and second presidencies.
The commander-in-chief further claimed that no president has ever taken part in a similar exercise when he spoke on his mental acuity at the White House Monday.
“The first question is very easy, and they always show the first question,” he said. “You have a lion, a bear, an alligator and a…what’s another good…a squirrel…okay?”
“‘Which is the squirrel?’”
Later in his remarks, while stressing the test is “hard”, Trump added: “One doctor said, 'It's the first time I've ever seen anyone get all questions right.’”
Headquarters, former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Gen-Z-focused account on X, has since shared an example of a cognitive test similar to the one that Trump was referencing.
“The test Trump is calling ‘hard’,” the post was captioned.
One question shows sketches of a lion, rhino, and camel and asks participants to name each animal. In another, participants must copy a picture of a cube to demonstrate their understanding of 3D space.
The quiz also tests abstract reasoning, with participants asked to identify general characteristics that connect two objects. For example, “banana” and “apple” would be linked together because they are both forms of fruit.
The type of test that Trump spoke about while addressing business owners on Monday is known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
The 10-minute evaluation is designed to detect mild cognitive impairment and assesses short-term memory, attention and coentration, the MoCA coalition website says.
Dr Ziad Nasreddine, who designed the test, told nine.com.au the average person scores 26 out of 30 on the test. Around 10 percent of people Trump’s age, 79, get all of the questions correct, he added.
“I think he's proud that he is able to demonstrate that his cognition is fine,” Nasreddine said. “Obviously, he likes to maybe boast about it because of his age, and people might think that at his age, you might have more difficulty with your cognition.”
In 2020 when Trump previously took the test, Nasreddine told MarketWatch the assessment is not an IQ test or a measure of skill.
"It is supposed to be easy for someone who has no cognitive impairment," he said.
Democratic Representative Ted Lieu took a swipe at the president on X following his latest remarks, addressing a post about the cognitive tests directly to the White House.
“Dear @WhiteHouse: Why are cognitive tests continuously being administered to trump (sic),” he wrote. “This is not normal. What are you hiding from the American people?”
Concluding, Lieu quipped, “Also let trump (sic) know that squirrel is the wrong answer.”
Trump, who insisted during his speech that many people in the room would not “ace” the test, has repeatedly insisted that he is in good health during his second presidency.
In January, he claimed on Truth Social that White House doctors said he was in “PERFECT HEALTH” after a cognitive assessment. As he did during Monday’s speech, he insisted that anyone running for the presidency or vice presidency should take a cognitive test.
However, 59 percent of people surveyed in a new poll said that they do not believe that the president has the mental acuity to serve as commander-in-chief.
The poll, which was conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos, also found that 55 percent of respondents do not believe he is physically healthy enough to serve as president.
Trump’s physical health has come under question, too, with the president often being spotted with bruising on his hand and swollen ankles.
The White House has blamed both his swollen ankles and bruising on having chronic venous insufficiency.
Trump, though, has insisted that he is physically healthy, too. During a speech in March, the president claimed that Ronny Jackson, a former White House doctor, said that he would live to 200-years-old if he stopped eating “junk food.”
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