President once again boasted about his results on a cognitive screening examination, but sparked confusion on internet with his bizarre “squirrel” remark.
Speaking at the Small Business Summit on Monday, stated that he has completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times and has “aced each one,” asserting that a doctor informed him it was the first occasion they had encountered a flawless score.
He answered the initial questions with his usual confidence. “The first question is very easy,” the proclaimed. “You have a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a, what’s another good..? A squirrel. Which is the squirrel?”
Trump also mentioned that the level of difficulty increases significantly. “By the time you get to the middle, they’re very tough.”
He then went on to brag about his results, as he said, “One doctor said, ‘It’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone get all questions right’. That’s a doctor, who does this stuff for a living.”
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Trump’s ‘squirrel’ sparks buzz on social media
Meanwhile, several people turned to social media to convey their bewilderment regarding Trump’s remarks and his claims of excelling in the cognitive assessment.
“passed the cognitive test for people that have no cognition – with flying colors. He doesn’t seem to realise this is a laughing stuff,” one person wrote on X.
“The man who couldn’t identify the squirrel ran the country into the ground for four years and his party called it fine. Trump takes the test three times and aces it and they’re still mad,” another said.
“I can’t stop thinking about the alligator and the squirrel as a pairing for a memory test. seems like a weird lineup for anything besides a walk in the park,” a third user commented.
“No other Presidents were suffering from delusions and dementia!!” the fourth person said, while the fifth user mentioned, “Three tests and we’re still flexing “which one is the squirrel.” Truly elite cognitive performance.”
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Here’s what the test creator has to say
The creator of the test, Canadian neurologist Ziad Nasreddine, has refuted Trump’s assertions of brilliance. “It wasn’t designed to be a test of IQ,” he stated to nine.com.au. “It was designed to assess normal cognitive performance.”
The Montreal Assessment is a brief clinical screening tool utilized in approximately 200 countries to identify signs of cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It comprises tasks like drawing a clock, recalling words, and recognizing the date and location.
The average score is 26 out of 30. Nasreddine mentioned that around ten percent of individuals of Trump’s age attain a perfect score. “I think he’s proud that he is able to demonstrate that his cognition is fine,” Nasreddine stated.
“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.”
The assessment is deliberately straightforward for adults in good health. Its purpose is to identify deficiencies—especially in areas such as short-term memory, attention, and language—rather than to evaluate intelligence. Achieving a perfect score verifies the lack of noticeable impairment.
It does not signify extraordinary cognitive capability. Nasreddine further emphasized that the test should be conducted by qualified professionals, rather than being self-administered.
