Has Donald Trump undergone cognitive testing and what were the results?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has been administered at least one brief dementia-screening cognitive test — the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) — in prior exams, and his physicians have reported a "perfect" 30/30 score in April 2025 and the president has said he "aced" a more recent test [1] [2]. The White House released a memo saying October MRI imaging of his cardiovascular and abdominal systems was "perfectly normal," but reporting and medical experts say details about which tests were given and why remain unclear [3] [4].
1. What test did Trump take — and what does a “perfect” score mean?
Trump and his doctors have referenced the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a 10‑ to 15‑minute screening used to detect mild cognitive impairment; it is widely used by clinicians but was designed to screen for impairment, not to measure intelligence [1] [5]. Trump’s medical summaries have reported a MoCA score of 30 out of 30 in past memos, and the president has publicly said he “aced” a recent cognitive test [1] [2]. The MoCA’s creator and other clinicians underscore that the exam screens for signs of dementia or mild cognitive decline and should not be portrayed as an IQ test [6] [5].
2. What did the White House release after the October visit?
After President Trump said he had an MRI in October, the White House physician released a memo describing “advanced imaging” that evaluated cardiovascular and abdominal systems and called the images “perfectly normal,” noting no arterial narrowing, inflammation, clotting and normal heart chamber sizes [3] [7]. The physician’s note did not publish the MRI images and left several questions about the scope and timing of other neurological or cognitive evaluations unanswered in the public record [3] [4].
3. Where reporting and experts say there is ambiguity
Multiple outlets reported that medical experts found the brief public memos provided “little clarity” about what tests were performed, why imaging was done absent symptoms, and what an MRI of unspecified scope implies for overall brain health [4]. News organizations and specialists emphasize that advanced imaging is not routinely performed without clinical reasons and that a normal MRI of the heart/abdomen does not, by itself, settle concerns about cognitive function [4] [3].
4. How the president framed his results and why critics reacted
Trump publicly contrasted his reported “perfect” cognitive screening with political opponents and repeatedly described the test as evidence of superior mental fitness, telling reporters he “aced” the exam and saying it “wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it” [8] [9]. That framing drew pushback: clinicians and the MoCA’s developer point out the test is not an intelligence measure, and critics have demanded fuller disclosure of the timing and content of recent exams [6] [2].
5. Past practices and precedent for presidential health disclosure
Past White House medical memos on presidents have given varying levels of detail. Reporting notes that after Trump’s April 2025 physical the White House released three pages of results that explicitly named the MoCA and reported a 30/30 score, but the more recent October memo focused on imaging and omitted explicit cognitive-test documentation, prompting calls for transparency [10] [1].
6. What sources do and do not say — and what remains unanswered
Available reporting confirms Trump has taken the MoCA in the past and been reported as scoring 30/30; the White House released MRI results described as “perfectly normal” for cardiovascular and abdominal imaging [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention the exact date of any cognitive testing tied to the October visit, do not provide the MRI images, and do not disclose detailed neurological testing beyond brief screening language [4] [3].
7. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas
Physicians and the White House present the memos as reassurance of fitness and normal imaging [3] [7]. Critics and some reporters see omissions — timing, scope, and absence of images — as insufficient; political opponents have urged fuller disclosure, while allies stress routine executive‑physical practices [4] [10]. Each side benefits politically from how medical information is framed: reassurance bolsters governing legitimacy, while calls for disclosure can cast doubt on fitness.
Limitations: this analysis uses only the cited reporting and does not assert facts beyond those sources; where the public record is incomplete I note that the information is not mentioned in current reporting [4] [3].