White House shocker: Trump passes cognitive test!

crazy

Reading this, I couldn’t help think of a recurring joke from “The Big Bang Theory.” The character Sheldon Cooper defends himself by saying, “I’m not crazy. My mother had me tested.”

Here’s what I refer to:

President Trump’s official doctor, Navy Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson, told reporters Tuesday that the president’s “overall health is excellent.”

Jackson said Trump, 71, requested a cognitive test and did well on it. Jackson said he would not have administered a cognitive test if Trump had not asked for one, saying he interacts with the president daily and saw no reason for such an exam.

The test includes asking a patient to name several animals, draw a clock with the hands at a certain time, copy a cube and recall a short list of words, among others.

Jackson said Trump is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 239 pounds. The doctor said he recommended the president lose weight and commit to a regular exercise routine. A realistic goal for Trump, according to Jackson, is to lose 10 to 15 pounds over the next year…

Of course, that’s not quite the same as being a “very stable genius.” And the finding doesn’t seem entirely consistent with a patient who calls himself that

43 thoughts on “White House shocker: Trump passes cognitive test!

  1. Brad Warthen Post author

    Actually, what I cited there was an early version of the story. In later versions, the doc was even more laudatory of Trump’s lack of cognitive impairment:

    President Trump requested that his first formal medical exam include a cognitive test and “did exceedingly well,” receiving a score of 30 out of 30, the top White House doctor announced on Tuesday afternoon.

    Navy Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson, who has been the lead White House doctor since 2013, said that he has interacted with the president several times a day for the past year and saw no need for a cognitive test. Jackson said that the president is “very sharp” in their conversations and does not repeat himself. He added that he has seen no evidence of any cognitive problems.

    At the president’s request, Jackson said that he reviewed a number of cognitive tests and then administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment during Trump’s first presidential physical exam on Friday afternoon at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The 10-minute exam is designed to detect mild cognitive impairment, generally in older patients. Trump answered all 30 questions correctly, Jackson said.

    The test includes asking a patient to name several animals, draw a clock with the hands at a certain time, copy a cube and recall a short list of words, among others. Jackson said he has “no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues.”…

  2. Doug Ross

    My father in law, who had Alzheimer’s, was given the exact same test by his neurologist. He was unable to draw the clock or remember three words.

  3. Scout

    I don’t think age related cognitive decline affecting memory, semantic language skills, and visual spatial awareness was ever the suspected defect. Evidence suggests this has been his normal state for years and not a recent change related to stroke or dementia – which that test is designed to detect. He needs a psychiatric evaluation.

  4. Barry

    If trump is 6’3” and 239
    I am 7’ 11 and 65 lbs.

    Twitter is hilarious tonight with folks posting pictures of athletes and others that truly are. About 6’3’” and 230 something.

    No comparison.

    1. Richard

      I know this may come as a shock, but muscle weights a lot more than fat. I’m 6’1″ and 190, I’m sure if I gained 40 pounds I’d probably look something like Trump.

      What do you think he weighs? Do you or have you ever worked for the carnival?

    2. Scout

      So apparently those stats just happen to put him at the highest possible BMI before being classified obese. Convenient.

      1. Claus2

        The BMI normal range for a 6’3″ male is 152 – 192. Has anyone ever seen a 6’3″ male who weighs 152 pounds? You could probably count the the ribs on the guy.

        I’m sad… I’m 1 pound overweight according to the chart.

      1. Barry

        Last night Andy Richter posted a picture of him shaking hands with Trump on a stage. Andy is 6’1” and he said about 240 and Trump is the exact same height as Andy and obviously heavier.

        I am 5’ 11” and my brother in law is 6’2”. I’ve never stood next to him and been anywhere close to the same height. I can wear boots and he is still bviously taller than me.

        So there is some fudging of the numbers going on.

        1. Brad Warthen Post author

          Here’s a graphic that U.S. News & World Report put together early in the 2016 race, comparing the heights of all the candidates.

          George Pataki was the tallest, at 6’5″. Trump was tied for second place, with Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum. Which surprised me — I’ve stood near Santorum and hadn’t noticed him being tall…

            1. Claus2

              I didn’t realize Michelle Obama was 6’0″. She is according to that photo, which was from the right side making Obama closer to the camera than Trump.

              1. Barry

                michelle is actually 5”11”

                So yes, about 6’0” in the heels she is wearing. Melania is also tall (described that way in the modeling world) and Michelle is a bit taller than Melania

          1. Barry

            BTW- I’ve stood near mike huckabee. He’s not 5’11”either. Good gracious.

            What is it about men that causes them to lie about their height?

            I was recently in a Christmas choir production at my church for the holidays. For our robes, we were required to email our heights to our music director. Of course, as usual, 75% of the choir hit “reply all” on the email so I received 50+ emails.

            Women seemed to be exactly right about their height. (Per my wife who would know more than me )

            The tallest men (6’5” or 6’6”) in our choir seemed to be 100% correct with their height. Same with the few 5’ 6” guys in the choir. They seemingly were on target.

            But the 5’11” guys sure did want to be 6’1”: and the 6’1” guys sure wanted to be 6’2” or 6’3”. Men that were clearly no taller than me listed their height 2-3 inches taller than they ever were at any point in their life. That old ego I guess.

            1. Brad Warthen Post author

              I’m terrible at estimating other people’s heights. I know my friend Roscoe Wilson — A’ja’s father — is way taller than I am at 6’8″, but it’s harder to tell with others.

              But with other people, it’s harder to tell. Especially women. I don’t compare women to me; I compare them to other women. Consequently, I’m often surprised when I’m standing in front of a mirror or window with a woman I think of as tall, and I see she’s shorter than I am.

              And I sort of knew Lindsey Graham was short, but it wasn’t until I saw this photo that I realized how much bigger I was — or what a little guy Gen. Petraeus was. (Even though I’m kind of hunched over.)

              I’m just not that conscious of things like that until I see a photo such as this or a reflection…

        2. Claus2

          So you’re saying a government employee is purposely falsifying government documents… do you think a military medical doctor would put his license and commission on the line?

          1. Barry

            Uh, I don’t think a medical doctor would worry about his medical license if the patient’s height and weight is off a bit on the chart.

            Docs don’t lose their medical licenses for such things. Try again.

            1. Claus2

              So what you’re saying is it’s okay for a medical doctor to falsify height and weight, what about things like blood pressure, cholesterol level, pulse, etc…? Aren’t many medications determined by things such as weight? A medical record isn’t exactly a driver’s license where it’s common for people to say they’re taller and lighter than they actually are. Try again.

              1. Barry

                No. Quit making things up and throwing out logical fallacies.

                I’ve had a physical the last 3 years in a row. I’ve yet to have my height measured. The initial intake nurse just asks me and I tell her. I doubt the doctor tape measured a 71 year old man.

                If his scales said 239 for Trump, his scales are wrong. Trump weighs more than 239 unless he wears a pillow around his gut.

                And no, according to my RN sister, most typical medication dosages wouldn’t matter a bit between 239 and a 255 lb man, especially if he was on low dose medication (maintenance meds).

              2. Barry

                And no, Trump is 6’1” now as is proven in many pictures online.

                Previous info suggests he was about 6’2”. And losing about an inch of height is possible for a 71 year old man.

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            By the way, I hired a young woman to replace Lee Bandy in Washington back in 1993, and shortly after she started she had occasion to go over to the White House.

            As I recall, the first thing she told me about it was that she had seen Hillary while she was there, and that the First Lady had fat ankles. It had really made an impression on her.

            Which, being a woman, I suppose she was allowed to say. I guess…

    3. Richard

      What’s funny is the left is concerned over Trump’s weight and who is their leading candidate to run in 2002… Oprah. If you haven’t seen her lately, she’s not exactly being mistaken for Halle Berry these days.

      1. Barry

        If Oprah lies about her height and weight, I am sure your favorite talk radio mouth breathers will let it slide and never say a word about it………..

        1. Claus2

          Is that your biggest concern right now? That Trump’s doctor says he weights 239 and you believe he’s heavier than that? Trump must be doing an excellent job if that’s your biggest concern. MAGA

  5. Lynn Teague

    Aside from his mental issues that are moral rather than cognitive, Trump simply has no interest in or respect for facts or expertise in interpreting those facts. He doesn’t listen to or read scientists, specialists in foreign affairs, educators, economists, or any other group of people with expertise in their subject matter. All of these folks are sometimes wrong, uncritical acceptance isn’t a good idea either, but he is unwilling to even think about what they have to say. Winning the presidency has probably just affirmed the value of trusting his instincts rather than experts. This is probably one reason he has had so many bankruptcies, and accounts for a lot of his behavior as president. This sort of instinctive approach works best with very simple problems, usually fails to give the best solutions when there are lots of variables to be weighed in context according to their relative importance.

    1. Bryan Caskey

      It’s a lifetime appointment.

      Are you aware of any facts that would indicate she’s not mentally competent? SCOTUS Justices used to routinely die in office, rather than retiring. It’s not as common in recent years (Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006, retired at 75), David Souter (1990-2009, retired at 69) and John Paul Stevens (1975-2010, retired at 90).

      I believe Rehnquist was the last Justice to pass away in office before Scalia died in office in 2016. If you go back to the earlier part of the twentieth century, it was much more common for Justices to die in office. My guess is that has to do with changing life expectancy and medical advances.

      With Ginsburg, I think she’s essentially stated that she intends remain in office as long as she has mental capacity. That’s her right as a Justice with lifetime tenure. If you have a bone to pick with that system, file a complaint with James Madison.

      1. Claus2

        Yes I am aware that it’s a lifetime appointment. That’s quite the informative lecture you started with the 2nd paragraph though.

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