US President Donald Trump recently claimed he had taken an “IQ test,” seemingly mistaking it for a dementia screening exam. Boasting that he achieved a perfect score, he also challenged Democratic representatives Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) to attempt the same test.Speaking aboard Air Force One, the 79-year-old described the exam as “very hard,” while mocking his opponents as “low IQ” individuals. This mix-up has once again drawn scrutiny to his cognitive health, with experts suggesting the confusion could be a possible sign of dementia.Donald Trump Mistakes Cognitive Exam For IQ TestOn Monday (October 27), Trump told reporters that he had aced an intelligence test at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. According to The New Republic, the test he referred to is likely the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a short 10-minute screening tool designed to detect early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Despite this, Trump appeared to treat it as an intelligence measure rather than a diagnostic tool.During his remarks, the Republican challenged Crockett, 44, and Ocasio-Cortez, 36, to take what he called the “IQ test.” “Let Jasmine go against Trump,” he said. “The first couple of questions are easy: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know. But when you get up to about five or six, and then 10, 20, 25—they couldn’t answer any of them,” he added.Donald Trump’s Verbal GaffesThis is not the first time Donald Trump has spoken about the MoCA test in exaggerated terms or made verbal missteps. Back in 2020, he told Fox News that he was asked “30 to 35 questions” of varying difficulty. “They always show you the first one, like a giraffe, a tiger, or a whale—‘Which one is the whale?’ OK. And then it gets harder and harder,” he said at the time, insisting that others had struggled where he had not.Observers have long noted that Trump’s speeches often include rambling detours and non-sequiturs. “His speeches are full of non sequiturs,” said historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez of Calvin College, who has compared the speaking styles of Trump and Hillary Clinton. “It’s a completely different style from nearly any other politician you normally see on a big stage.”Is Donald Trump Showing Early Signs of Dementia?Clinical psychologists Dr. Harry Segal and Dr. John Gartner have expressed concern about the president’s psychomotor performance, suggesting that he may be displaying early indicators of dementia. Speaking in a recent episode of their program Shrinking Trump, Dr. Gartner said, “We’ve been observing a clear decline in his motor performance, which aligns with dementia, as it typically involves deterioration across all faculties and functions.” He added that Trump’s public demeanor, language, and verbal disorganization have become more apparent signs of cognitive changes. According to The Mirror, Trump has also been seen attempting to conceal his hands in public, prompting further speculation about his health.The recent mix-up between the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and an IQ test, some experts say, could further reinforce these concerns. To better understand this, we spoke with Dr. Neetu Tiwari, MBBS, MD (Psychiatry), Senior Resident at NIIMS Medical College & Hospital. She explained, “Confusing the nature of the test could be something worth noting. In itself, a single instance of confusion does not amount to a diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) or any other dementia type. But if this kind of misunderstanding is part of a wider pattern—repeated confusion, new behavioural changes, personality shifts, language difficulties, or problems managing daily tasks—it would justify a full cognitive and neurological assessment. Early detection often relies on observing clusters of symptoms that persist or worsen over time.”Summing up her view, Dr. Tiwari added that while it is possible for such mislabelling to be a small indicator, it is not strong evidence on its own. “Context matters,” she said. “Age, baseline cognitive ability, education, emotional state, stress, and fatigue all influence mental performance. The responsible next step is to monitor whether other changes are taking place, and if so, to seek a detailed evaluation from a neurologist or neuropsychologist.”
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