Trump doesn't want to be called 'dumb': 'Call me brilliant, total tyrant dictator'
A visibly agitated soon-to-be-80 US president brags about 'acing' multiple brain tests, insisting he continues to be sharp, even as medical experts are less convinced
US President Donald Trump has many things he is perfectly happy being called. A tyrant? Fine. A dictator? No problem. Brilliant? Obviously. Dumb? Now you've gone too far. Even though, the mercurial Republican loves to address people he dislikes as “dumb” (he called a woman reporter the same earlier this month).
On Friday (May 22), he made it clear at a rally in New York City. He said he did not mind critics referring to him as a “tyrant” or “dictator”, but he cannot accept being called “dumb”.
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“Don’t you want to have a smart person as the president?” a visibly agitated Trump said as the spectators cheered. “Doctor, I don’t mind being called a brilliant total tyrant-dictator, but I don’t want to be called dumb,” he said, revealing what he'd said to his physician.
Trump brags about cognitive sharpness
The president, who veered from his remarks at the rally, which was focused on affordability issues as the US heads to mid-term elections in less than six months, then asserted that he has successfully taken a cognitive test (more than once) as he tried to beat the “dumb” attack on him.
According to Trump, who is in the middle of a geopolitical conflict with Iran, the criticisms against him prompted him to seek his doctor’s advice on a probable test to assess his cognitive abilities. The latter, then, as the president went on to add, recommended an assessment that began with easy questions before moving to more difficult ones, including mathematical ones.
The commander-in-chief, who claimed that he is the first occupant of the White House to have undertaken such tests, said he answered all the questions correctly to argue that he is mentally sharp.
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Trump’s mental health has been a subject of discussion for a while. The oldest president of the US, who will turn 80 next month, has often been accused of not being mentally fit to occupy such an important position. His verbal gaffes, frequent rants, and vocal insistence that he has excelled in standard dementia screenings have come under scrutiny.
Several US medical experts deem Trump mentally unfit
Earlier in May, several American psychiatrists and doctors — experts in mental health — signed a statement saying Trump is not mentally fit to serve and that his behaviour over the past year has displayed “objectively observable signs of serious medical concern”.
Thirty US psychiatrists and other doctors specialising in mental health have signed a statement declaring President Donald Trump mentally unfit to serve, warning that his ability to launch nuclear weapons is a “danger” to the world.
Trump, ever since assuming power for the second time in January 2025, has been in the limelight for negative reasons, extending from recklessly imposing tariffs on countries, including allies, to invading hostile nations such as Venezuela and Iran.
Trump recently mocked Obama, Biden
Trump, however, is little perturbed by these charges and keeps on tom-tomming about his sharp mental state. Recently, he slammed his Democratic predecessors, such as Barack Obama and Joe Biden, claiming that any presidential or vice-presidential candidate must take cognitive tests before running for the high posts.
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“Anybody running for President or Vice President should be forced to take a Cognitive Examination prior to entering the Race! By doing so, we wouldn't be surprised at people like Barack "Hussein" Obama, or Sleepy Joe Biden, getting “ELECTED”,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, “I took the Exam three times during my ("THREE!") Terms as President, and ACED IT ALL THREE TIMES - An Achievement that, even on a single Exam, according to the Doctors, has rarely been done before!”
Why take tests so many times, asks doctor
However, even as Trump said he repeatedly took the tests, experts suspected it, asking why to take such tests repeatedly in a short time. Dr Henry David Abraham is one. According to a report by Daily Beast, the professor of psychiatry emeritus at Tufts University School of Medicine said it was a concern.
The tests that Trump has often bragged about passing—specifically the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) — essentially screen for dementia.
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“If you have one MoCA, that’s like taking your temperature,” Dr Abraham, was quoted as saying by the Daily Beast.
“If a temperature is OK, you don’t come back every 10 minutes and take another temperature. But if it’s not OK, then you want to see where it’s going.”
Trump’s latest comments come just days before he is likely to take another cognitive test. On Monday (May 25), he will visit Walter Reed Hospital for another round of medical and dental checkups—his fourth publicised examination since becoming the president for the second time.