Donald Trump has been criticised for his assertion that he possesses one of the highest IQ scores "anywhere in the world" after citing the figure 1775 during a speech.
The President appeared at a mid-term election rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday (October 3). In a lengthy address, he urged voters to "pretend I'm running", discussed immigration, and branded his rivals "lunatics" and "communists".
Trump's IQ claim
Trump insisted he was a "high IQ person", with one of the highest scores "anywhere in the world". He declared: "I said, 'Wow'. Nobody saw it but me. I'm very proud of it. It was very intelligent, very. I'm a high-IQ person, unlike some other people I can tell you about. Very."
He added: "Among the highest IQs anywhere in the world: 1775. And I said, you know, if we can scrap up $1 more, we'll be at 1776. And that's what we did."
Reaction from commentators
Watching the address, the Daily Beast's Joanna Coles highlighted that "1775 is not an IQ score". Her co-host, David Rothkopf, quipped that it "is for Donald Trump."
David stated: "Well, it is for Donald Trump. If you're the smartest person out there and your uncle went to MIT, you could have any score you want. No, you can't. Actually, to be specific, you can't have an IQ score above 160. The tests don't actually go above 160. So this is, you know, more than 10 times that."
IQ test background
IQ (intelligence quotient) tests are designed to provide a standardised measure of intelligence—a score indicating how far above or below an individual is, compared with their peer group, in terms of mental ability. In theory, IQ tests do not have an upper limit, but people seldom score above 160.
South Korean scientist Dr YoungHoon Kim reportedly holds the highest-ever IQ: 276, according to the Giga Society. Trump's number would be more than six times higher than that.
As Joanna labelled the claim as "insanity", David suggested that the figure might refer to the $1,776 "Warrior Dividend", announced in December 2025, for 1.45 million US service members. He continued: "All the synapses in his brain, they no connect no more. And so, you know, what you've got is a guy who, between his ears, has, like a bubbling cauldron of Campbell's, you know, of Campbell's cream of idiot soup." And you never know what it's going to bubble up.
