President Donald Trump can shrug off being labeled a “tyrant” or even a “dictator,” but there’s one insult he says he simply can’t stand.
The 79-year-old president revealed at a rally on Friday that being called “dumb” bothered him so much that he decided to take a cognitive test to silence critics questioning his mental sharpness.
“They hit me with a bad one: He’s a dumb person. D-U-M, not the B,” Trump told the crowd, The Daily Beast reports. “Most people don’t know it has a B.”
Trump was speaking to supporters at Rockland Community College in New York at what was billed as a rally focused on affordability. But the president launched into a story about a conversation he had with his doctor after critics questioned his mental acuity earlier this month.
“I said, ‘Doctor, I don’t mind being called a brilliant tyrant dictator, but I don’t want to be called dumb,’” the president said.
“‘What do I do, doctor? Is there some kind of test I can take?’ He said, ‘Actually, sir, there is. It’s a cognitive test.’ I said, ‘How many presidents have taken it?’ ‘None… No people have taken it.’ I said, ‘Well, is it good or bad? Is it tough?’”
Trump went on to describe the test in detail, telling supporters the questions “start off easy” before becoming increasingly difficult.
“So, the first question was: you have a bear, a snake, an elephant, and a horse. Name the horse. That’s the horse,” Trump said, acting out the exchange.
“But toward the end, they had a question, like, ‘Pick a number sir, any number. OK, 203. Multiply times nine, divide by two, add on 1324 subtract 1292. Sir. Multiply it out one more time by 19. What’s the answer, sir?’
“And I got it right,” Trump claimed.
Trump’s comments come just days before he is expected to undergo another cognitive evaluation at Walter Reed Hospital on Monday for a medical and dental checkup – his fourth publicized examination since returning to office, the The Daily Beast reports.
The president has previously boasted about passing cognitive exams, specifically the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, a screening tool commonly used to detect cognitive impairment and dementia.
Meanwhile, Trump has frequently mocks former President Joe Biden over age-related concerns while insisting he remains in strong health.
