Have any psychologists or intelligence experts publicly assessed Donald Trump's IQ?

Checked on December 6, 2025
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Executive summary

No publicly released, verifiable IQ score for Donald Trump exists; fact-checkers say claims like “IQ 73” lack evidence [1]. Medical reports and reporting show Trump has publicized perfect scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a 30-point dementia screening, but experts and test makers say the MoCA is not an IQ test and is not correlated with IQ measures [2] [3].

1. What people are citing when they say “Trump’s IQ”

When news stories or social posts refer to an alleged Trump IQ, they draw on three different things: rumors and unverified graphics claiming a specific IQ (for example, a widely debunked claim of 73), Trump’s own boasts about his cognitive testing, and his reported perfect MoCA result. Full Fact examined a circulated claim that Trump scored 73 and found no evidence to support it, rating the claim false [1]. Other outlets report that Trump and White House physicians have discussed a perfect 30/30 score on the MoCA [4] [2].

2. Why the MoCA result does not equal an IQ score

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a brief clinical screen designed to detect mild cognitive impairment and early dementia; it assesses memory, attention, language, visuospatial skills and orientation but was not designed to measure intelligence quotient (IQ) or be correlated with standardized IQ tests [2] [3]. Ziad Nasreddine, the MoCA’s creator, has explicitly said there are no studies showing the MoCA correlates with IQ tests and that it was not intended to determine low IQ [3].

3. What psychologists and intelligence experts have publicly said

Available sources do not report a peer‑reviewed psychologist or intelligence researcher publicly releasing a verified IQ test result for Trump. Reporting instead quotes clinicians about the MoCA’s purpose and experts warning against equating a cognitive screen with IQ — for example, news accounts note clinicians’ and the test‑creator’s view that the MoCA is not an intelligence test [3] [2]. Broader commentary from psychologists appears in analysis pieces and polls about perceived intelligence, but not as a record of a measured IQ in the public domain [5] [6].

4. The difference between perception, political rhetoric and measurement

Public conversation about Trump’s “IQ” mixes subjective perceptions (polls asking Americans who seems smart), political insults (“low IQ” labels), and conflation of cognitive health screens with intelligence metrics [6] [2]. Journalists and fact‑checkers distinguish these categories: YouGov polling measures public perception of political figures’ intelligence; it does not measure those individuals’ IQs [6]. Media coverage documents Trump’s rhetoric about taking an “IQ test,” while clinical reporting clarifies what test was likely administered [2] [3].

5. How misinformation spreads on this topic

Fact‑checking outlets find specific numeric claims about Trump’s IQ (notably the 73 figure) lack documentary support and often trace back to social‑media graphics or anonymous leaks, not verifiable records [1]. Numerous opinion pieces and blogs speculate or aggregate unsourced numbers; such coverage contributes to public confusion by presenting speculation alongside factual reports of clinical screening [4] [7].

6. What is and isn’t documented in current reporting

Documented: Trump has publicly claimed to have taken an “IQ” or cognitive test and has been reported to have achieved a perfect MoCA score; test creators and clinicians say the MoCA does not measure IQ [2] [3] [4]. Not found in current reporting: any validated, publicly released results from a standardized, supervised IQ test administered to Donald Trump by psychologists and disclosed with verifiable documentation [1].

7. Bottom line for readers

If your aim is to know a verified IQ number for Donald Trump, current, credible sources show none exists; specific numeric claims have been debunked or remain unproven [1]. If your aim is to assess cognitive function, reporters and clinicians point to the MoCA as a clinical screening tool that Trump reportedly passed, but both its creator and medical commentators caution that passing the MoCA is not evidence of high IQ [3] [2].

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