Overview
- At the White House Small Business Summit on Monday, President Trump said he has taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times, claimed perfect scores, and urged mandatory testing for candidates while offering a now-viral “squirrel” example.
- The MoCA’s creator, Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, said the roughly 10‑minute screen is not an IQ test, the average score is 26 out of 30, and about 10 percent of people Trump’s age score perfectly.
- A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll reported that 59 percent of Americans doubt Trump’s mental sharpness and 55 percent doubt his physical health, reinforcing concerns he tried to beat back with his remarks.
- CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner called the president overdue for his annual evaluation and urged comprehensive yearly medical, cognitive, and psychiatric exams for those seeking the office, a push the White House dismissed as political.
- Commentary and social media mocked the boasts, and some critics questioned why he has taken the dementia screen multiple times, as the test includes simple tasks like naming pictured animals, drawing a clock, recalling words, and stating the date and location.