President Donald Trump claimed throughout a press briefing aboard Air Pressure One on October 27, 2025 that he had taken an “IQ check” at Walter Reed Nationwide Navy Medical Middle and achieved an ideal rating, difficult Democratic Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez to take the identical examination.In actuality, the query check seems to have been the Montreal Cognitive Evaluation (MoCA)—a short screening software for early cognitive decline, not an intelligence (IQ) check, in line with Individuals. The discrepancy between what was claimed and what consultants say the check measures raises questions on transparency, well being communication, and political messaging.
What Trump mentioned and the way he framed it
Trump described the check as “very arduous” and instructed it was akin to an inherent ability or cognitive examination:“They’ve Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ individual. AOC is low IQ… You give her an IQ check, have her cross, like, the exams that I made a decision to take after I was at Walter Reed… I took- These are very hard- They’re actually aptitude exams, I suppose, in a sure approach, however they’re cognitive exams.” He additionally recounted what he mentioned had been pattern questions: “The primary couple questions are simple: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, . If you stand up to about 5 or 6 after which if you stand up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn’t come near answering any of these questions.”
What the check actually is
- The MoCA is a 10-to-15-minute cognitive screening software designed to detect early indicators of dementia or
cognitive impairment . It assesses reminiscence, consideration, language, visuospatial abilities and orientation. - Neurologist Ziad Nasreddine, who developed the MoCA, has said clearly: “There aren’t any research displaying that this check is correlated to IQ exams. The aim of it was to not decide individuals who’ve a low IQ degree.”
- Media evaluation confirms that whereas Trump bragged about passing an “IQ check,” consultants and paperwork present the examination used was a
dementia screening , not an IQ or intelligence check.
Globally, questions concerning the well being and cognitive health of older political leaders are more and more widespread. Screening instruments exist to establish early impairment, however they aren’t designed to guage intelligence or general management capability. Media literacy round such exams stays low; when high-profile figures misuse or mislabel them, public misunderstanding grows.
