(NEXSTAR) – President Trump announced plans to undergo one “Semi-annual” physical examination on Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, about six months after his last annual physical exam.
As Trump discussed his doctor’s visit in the Oval Office on Thursday, he also boasted to reporters about the “perfect score” he achieved after his latest cognitive assessment.
“I also took a cognitive test, which is always very risky because if I didn’t do very well you would be the first one to shout, and I got a perfect score,” Trump said. “And one of the doctors said he almost never saw a perfect result. I had a, had a perfect result. I had the highest result. And that made me feel good.”
It was unclear whether Trump would undergo another cognitive evaluation on Friday. But he made it clear that he believes that as US president “you should do a cognitive test.”
“The first few questions are pretty easy,” he added a moment later. “Once you get to the middle, it gets a little trickier, and there aren’t many people in this room who would answer every single question correctly, I can guarantee you that.”
Trump did not respond in detail to questions about his previous assessments. However, he has said in the past that the more arduous part of the exam involves a “memory” component.
“The first questions are very easy, the last questions are much more difficult. Like a memory question,” Trump told Fox News in 2020. “It’s like saying, ‘Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.’ So they said, “Could you repeat that?” So I said, “Yes.” So it’s a person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.'”
“It’s actually not that easy. But for me it was easy,” Trump continued.
Trump, in another Fox News interview in 2020 with Chris Wallace, defended the difficulty of the exam after Wallace said he found it effortless.
“So, how have you been?” Trump asked.
“Well, it’s not the hardest test. The last picture says, ‘What is this?’ and it’s an elephant.”
“No, no, look, this is all a misrepresentation,” Trump said. “Because yes, the first few questions are easy, but I bet you couldn’t even answer the last five questions. … The last five questions get very difficult.”
The test Wallace was referring to is called Photos presented during the interview was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. President Trump’s former doctor, Dr. Ronny Jackson, as well as Trump’s current doctor, Dr. Sean Barbabella, have also confirmed that they administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to Trump in 2019 2018 And 2025, respectively. Both doctors stated that he was rated “30 out of 30” in their respective examinations.
What is on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment?
The Cognitive assessment in Montrealor MoCA, was created by Dr. Ziad Nasreddine, a Canadian neurologist, as a screening tool to detect cognitive impairment. It contains questions designed to assess cognitive function by testing a patient’s language, memory, visuospatial skills, and orientation, among other things.
The standard MoCA test itself should take about 10 minutes. Only professionals who have completed MoCA training are allowed to carry out the test Sample versions Studies found online show that patients are asked to follow patterns, copy drawings, repeat sentences or remember a series of words.
A score of 26 or more (out of 30 possible) is considered normal. A score of 22 may indicate gentle cognitive impairment, while lower scores may indicate gentle cognitive impairment more severe or progressive cognitive problems.
However, the test is not intended as a measure of intelligence, Nasreddine once said NBC News.
“There are no studies that show this test correlates with IQ tests,” Nasreddine said. “The aim was not to identify people who have low IQs. Therefore, we cannot say that this test reflects a person’s IQ.”
Apart from cognitive abilities the results President Trump’s last physical at Walter Reed in April 2025 revealed that Trump’s skin had “some minor sun damage” and his ear had scars from “a gunshot wound.” However, later tests revealed that the president had done so chronic venous insufficiency, A condition that occurs when blood in the legs has difficulty flowing back to the heart, potentially causing swelling, pain, or varicose veins.
He was also seen with bruises on his hands, which his doctor, Sean Barbabella, had attributed to “mild soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and ingestion of aspirin, taken as part of a standard cardiovascular preventative regimen.”
“President Trump continues to enjoy excellent health,” Barbabella wrote in a July memo.
