Why does Donald Trump keep bragging about acing his dementia test?

Donald Trump keeps bragging about “acing” a cognitive test, and last night, on Air Force One, insulted a reporter who was asking him about his health, saying she wouldn’t be able to.

Actual words from Trump to the reporter:

“I took a cognitive test and aced it. I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”

Motherf–ker is bragging about passing the Montreal Cognitive Test, which is a screening test for patients whose doctors think may just have dementia.

Sample questions on one version of the test (source: ChampionsforHealth.org) that Trump thinks makes him a genius because he aces it include:

• The examiner gives the following instructions: “Tell me today’s date.”
• Tell me the name of this animal (drawings of three animals are the prompts).
• The examiner asks the subject to explain what each pair of words has in common, starting with the example: “I will give you two words, and I would like you to tell me to what category they belong to: an orange and a banana.”
• Draw a clock with a specific time (e.g. five past ten).
• Copy this drawing (of a cube) as accurately as you can.
• “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember. It doesn’t matter in what order you say them.”
• “I am going to say some numbers and when I am through, repeat them to me exactly as I said them.”
• “I am going to read a sequence of letters. Every time I say the letter A, tap your hand once. If I say a different letter, do not tap your hand.”
• “Now, I will ask you to count by subtracting 7 from 100, and then, keep subtracting 7 from your answer until I tell you to stop.”
• “I am going to read you a sentence. Repeat it after me, exactly as I say it.”
• “Now, I want you to tell me as many words as you can think of that begin with the letter F. I will tell you to stop after one minute. Proper nouns, numbers and different forms of a verb are not permitted. Are you ready?”

This isn’t an IQ test; it’s a test to see if grandpa gets to keep his car keys.

You’ve got to score 26 out of 30 to keep your car keys.

So, congrats, Grandpa POTUS: you know what day it is, you can tell a horsey from a moo cow, are at least vaguely aware that oranges and bananas are fruits, not horseys and moo cows, and know that “fart,” “f–kface” and “felonies” all start with the letter F.

You get to keep the car keys. For today.

The fact that they keep making you ace these exams is not a good sign, though.