Overview
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett said she would take on President Trump in a televised rendition of his favored cognitive exam during an Oct. 29 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
- Jimmy Kimmel proposed hosting what he dubbed the James C. Kimmel Cognitive Aptitude and Mental Brilliance Invitational and publicly invited the president to compete, with presidential participation not confirmed.
- Kimmel quizzed Crockett with MoCA-style sample items on air, including identifying an elephant and repeating five words, as he joked about possible venues and a sit-up tiebreaker.
- Trump this week boasted to reporters that he "aced" a cognitive test and labeled Crockett and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "low IQ," reviving a pattern Crockett said targets women and women of color.
- The test at issue is widely identified as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment; its creator and other clinicians note it screens for cognitive impairment and is not an IQ or aptitude test, despite Trump’s framing and a prior April memo citing his perfect score.