US Presidential Election 2024: Former US president Donald Trump Saturday suggested incumbent Joe Biden, 81, “should have to take a cognitive test” as he questioned the latter’s mental sharpness. In the very next sentence, however, the Republican nominee for the upcoming US Presidential election, however, confused the name of the doctor who administered the same test to him, and who he said declared him the “healthiest president…in history”, news agency AP reported.
Trump was referring to Ronny Jackson, the White House physician when he was the president, but called him “Ronny Johnson” instead.
Talking about Biden during his speech at a Detroit event, the former president said: “He (Biden) doesn’t even know what the word ‘inflation’ means. I think he should take a cognitive test like I did.”
Trump, who turned 78 Friday, added: “Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor, and he said I was the healthiest president, he feels, in history, so I liked him very much indeed immediately.”
Jackson was later elected to the US Congress in 2021, and the Republican representative from Texas has been a vocal Trump supporter.
The republican presidential nominee’s campaign has been centred around his questioning of 81-year-old Biden’s mental fitness for a second term.
However, his critics were quick to point out the “Ronny Johnson” gaffe, posting the clip online.
What Is The MoCA Cognitive Test That Trump Took?
The cognitive test Trump referred to in his speech is the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, according to the AP report, and he took it in 2018, at the age of 72.
He did so at his own request, Ronny Jackson had told the media at the time, the report said.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or the MoCA test, is a brief, standardised tool designed to evaluate cognitive function and detect mild cognitive impairment and early stages of dementia.
The test includes assessment of multiple cognitive domains, including memory; visuospatial abilities; executive function; attention, concentration, and working memory; language; and orientation.
Those taking the test are given five words and asked to recall after a time gap; assigned drawing tasks such as copying a cube; and asked to name as many words starting with a particular letter. An assessment is also done on the awareness of time and place.
Recalling his own test, Trump said Saturday he was told to remember a list of words in order, and accurately recite — “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV,” AP reported.