Full Breakdown
President Donald Trump Boasts of Acing Three Montreal Cognitive Assessments
5/15/2026, 3:10:50 AM
Trump’s MoCA Claims
President Donald Trump has told audiences he has taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) three times and ‘aced’ each. At a rally in The Villages retirement community, he cited a sample item—identifying a bear among a lion, giraffe, bear and shark. At a White House Small Business Summit, he asked which of a lion, bear, alligator and squirrel is the squirrel.
Medical Experts on Repeated MoCA
Dr. Henry David Abraham, professor of psychiatry Tufts University, said the MoCA screens for dementia and related conditions, not intelligence. He likened a single MoCA to taking a temperature and warned that repeated administrations are ‘worrisome,’ because clinicians use them to track cognitive slippage. Abraham noted that three MoCAs have been observed, a pattern that typically signals concern.
White House Response
The White House has not released MoCA results for the president. White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella has not been made available for comment, and officials declined to confirm number, timing, or outcomes of the tests. The administration framed the issue as a matter of ‘serious stuff’ that must balance national security with president’s medical privacy.
Criticism & Opposition
Medical experts, represented by Dr. Abraham, view the president’s bragging as a potential red flag for cognitive decline. Abraham said disclosure from Dr. Barbabella—confirming whether three MoCAs were administered and whether performance has deteriorated—would be ‘important to know.’ He emphasized that lack of data hampers objective assessment of the president’s cognitive health.
Conflicting Reports
Statements differ: Trump asserts he has ‘aced’ three MoCAs, while the White House provides no test results. Dr. Abraham’s comments suggest repeated testing is unusual, yet no record confirms test frequency or scores. No MRI or brain imaging data have been released, limiting independent verification.
Verbatim Quotes
- “If you have one MoCA, that’s like taking your temperature,” — Dr. Abraham, Tufts
- “When they’re repeated that way clinically, we are in fact looking for slippage. We want to know how quickly he’s going down. Has he gone off a cliff?” — Dr. Abraham
- “You know, the first question is very easy. It’s a lion, a giraffe, a bear, and a shark. They say, ‘Which one is the bear?’” — President Trump, The Villages rally
- “That’s a political hot potato because suppose transparent Dr. Barbabella came forward and said, ‘Well, yeah, we gave him three MoCAs, because we’re tracking his cognitive function, and it’s been going downhill,’” — Dr. Abraham
What’s Next
Calls for Dr. Barbabella to release president’s MoCA results or to provide a professional assessment have grown. Observers expect White House briefings may address the issue if additional testing occurs or if political pressure for transparency increases.
