Jimmy Kimmel Takes The Cognitive Test Donald Trump 'Aced' And The Results Spur More Health Questions

In October 2025, President Donald Trump revealed that he had taken a cognitive test, later identified as a dementia prescreening test, following an April 2025 screening. Though it was, as he described it, very hard, Trump reported that he had passed with great success. When he confirmed a third completed cognitive test in January 2026, he strongly encouraged others to take the exam. 

On the January 5, 2026 episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Kimmel underwent the same medical examination. Under the observation of a doctor, the host completed the test with apparent ease, earning a perfect score on his first try. Some have expressed concerns that Trump's difficulties with the exam (and his multiple attempts at taking it) hint at a possible dementia risk.

(If you live in this part of the U.S., you may be at a higher risk for dementia.)

As medical expert Dr. Vin Gupta stated during an appearance on MS NOW's "Deadline: White House" (via The Daily Beast): "Those that tend to do Montreal [Cognitive Assessment Tool, or MOCA] tests with that level of frequency, usually we're worried about the presence of early-stage dementia or cognitive impairment, so he might be ruling himself in to something that he doesn't want to rule himself into." 

Believed to be the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which includes elements that the president referred to back in October 2025 (such as the animal identification section), the exam is structured into 4 parts. The purpose of the cognitive test is to screen for dementia, with a combination of sections that test executive function, memory, attention, language, visuospatial ability, and orientation. Should the individual taking the exam struggle to answer the questions or fail to pass, it is a clear sign that they may have an impairment, such as dementia.

As Dr. Sarah Swanson told Jimmy Kimmel during his taking of the test, the MoCA test is typically administered to patients above the age of 65 at their annual physicals. The president had two annuals in 2025 and is 79 years of age, which roughly matches Dr. Swanson's estimation for when the test should be taken. 

Following his two completions of the test in 2025, Trump bragged about his cognitive test results and his high IQ, a sentiment he echoed in his social media post about his third exam. But as internal medicine physician Dr. Vivek Cherian clarified (via CNN), "It's important to note that the MoCA is not an IQ test and does not measure intelligence, judgment, decision-making, or overall cognitive fitness."