People listen to US President Donald Trump as he delivers a speech during a campaign rally at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, October 10, 2026.
President Donald Trump boasted about being a "freaking genius" at his recent Arizona rally, but told his devoted followers that only a few of them will be able to manage the standard cognitive test.
Speaking in Bullhead City, Trump, 80, went on a long rant about how he aced the cognitive test he claims is very difficult and bragged endlessly about his intellect. As he described its difficulty, he expressed doubt about the abilities of people who had come to cheer him on to pass it.
"It's a very standard test, but very tough," Trump told the crowd. "There are few people in this audience that can..."
The president, however, believed his fans could handle the much simpler opening question: identifying a lion from pictures of several animals. He called that first question "quite easy," then insisted the questions would get significantly tougher later in the exam.
The president's remarks sounded like an unexpected jab at the very audience he was addressing. It comes after his October 10 rally in Tennessee, in which he told his fans, "I could say the stupidest things, and you'd clap."
Trump argued that mental arithmetic and word recall are more than most can handle, thereby making his own performance proof of his superior intellect.
In one instance, he described being handed five words to repeat at once and then, after further questioning, some half hour later. He said the professionals running the test took notice of his recollection of the words in the order they were given.
He then concluded that his ability to put them together is proof that he is a "freaking genius."
When Mediavine, which shared the clip from the rally, asked for comment about Trump’s remarks, White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the outlet:
“President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people.”
Ingle added: “President Trump is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health.”
Trump has a history of insulting his own fans. In July 2025, he called his supporters “stupid” and “foolish” for demanding the release of the Epstein files
Some medical experts have theorized that Trump's lack of filter is a sign of dementia, and his symptoms have worsened over time.
