Trump says doctors were 'very surprised' he passed a cognitive test

Donald Trump on Thursday bragged about taking and apparently passing a cognitive abilities test, saying in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that the doctors who administered the test were “very surprised.”

Trump’s comment came as he tried to attack the cognitive abilities of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Trump and his allies have baselessly accused Biden of having dementia, part of their throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall strategy to knock down Biden’s support — which has so far not worked.

“He hasn’t taken any cognitive tests because he couldn’t pass one,” Trump said of Biden, even though Hannity did not bring up Biden’s cognitive abilities.

“I actually took one when I very recently, when I, the radical left was saying, is he all there? Is he all there? And I proved I was all there because I aced it, I aced the test,” Trump continued. “And he should take the same exact test, a very standard test. I took it at Walter Reed Medical Center, in front of doctors, and they were very surprised. They said that’s a very unbelievable thing, rarely does anyone do what you just did.”

It’s unclear when Trump took a cognitive assessment. He set off a firestorm of speculation about his health in November 2019, when he made an unannounced visit to Walter Reed Medical Center, which the White House later said was for his annual physical.

In 2018, Trump took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is described as “the most sensitive cognitive screening tool.”

The test asks basic questions, such as asking patients to identify drawings of animals like a lion and a rhinoceros, as well as asking patients to draw a clock depicting a certain time.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., recently mocked Biden’s cognitive abilities, posting an offensive meme of scribbles on Winnie the Pooh.

Breaking news🚨🚨🚨: Biden releases his cognitive test. pic.twitter.com/YrKGO7xI0u

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 3, 2020

Ultimately, Trump’s attacks on Trump’s cognitive abilities haven’t diminished Biden’s support.

Biden currently has a 9.6% lead, according to FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average.

And Trump has seen his support from voters aged 65 and up drop precipitously. That drop in support from older voters — who are the most reliable voting bloc — is worrying Trump’s campaign.

That age group backed Trump by 7 points in 2016, according to exit poll data.

But a national Monmouth University poll released July 2 found Biden now is leading that age group 59% to Trump’s 38%, a whopping 21-point lead.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.