After years of unexplained secrecy surrounding his medical records, Donald Trump had his first physical exam of his second term last week, undergoing a nearly five-hour physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A couple of days later, the White House released a memo from the president’s physician, which described the Republican as being in “excellent health.”
But that’s not all it said. The relatively detailed summary described Trump as being 6’3” and weighing 224 pounds, which seemed like a rather generous set of data. The same document referenced the president’s “frequent victories in golf events” (no, seriously, that’s what it said), which didn’t exactly bolster confidence in the description of Trump’s health.
Nevertheless, the day after the physician’s report was shared with the public, the president seemed eager to focus on one detail in particular.
Trump: "I took my cognitive exam as part of my physical exam, and I got the highest mark, and one of the doctors said, 'Sir, I've never seen anybody get that kind of — that was the highest mark.'"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-04-14T16:09:12.366Z
“I took my cognitive exam as part of my physical exam, and I got the highest mark, and one of the doctors said, ‘Sir, I’ve never seen anybody get that kind of — that was the highest mark,’” Trump said at an Oval Office event.
Yes, we’re back to this again.
In case anyone needs a refresher, Trump had an annual physical in early 2018 when his then-physician administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which led his doctor to conclude that Trump had no cognitive or mental deficiencies. The trouble, of course, was that the Republican celebrated the results in such a way that suggested he didn’t fully appreciate what the test was all about.
“If you look at the test, it’s pretty hard to see how you could not score a 30 [out of 30],” a Washington Post piece explained in early 2018, adding, “Yes, Trump passed with flying colors, as any adult with normal cognitive function probably would.”
We’re talking about an exam that’s used to identify evidence of dementia, mental deterioration and neurodegenerative diseases. Those who take it may be asked, for example, to draw a clock or describe the similarities between oranges and bananas.
Trump somehow convinced himself, however, that it was akin to a Mensa exam and that his ability to get a perfect score was proof of his genius.








