Trump Mocked Online for ‘Self-Own’ Over Cognitive Test Challenge
Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump faced ridicule on social media after committing a gaffe during a recent campaign rally where he challenged President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities and suggested he take a cognitive test similar to one Trump had taken in 2018. According to NBC News, Trump misstated the name of the physician who administered the test, resulting in widespread mockery.
“I think [Biden] should take a cognitive test like I did,” Trump asserted during his speech. “Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, [a] congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor, and he said I was the healthiest president, he feels, in history. So I liked him very much indeed immediately,” Trump said, incorrectly referring to Dr. Ronny Jackson as “Ronny Johnson.”
The blunder did not go unnoticed by netizens, who swiftly took to social media to deride the mistake. “This is the funniest self-own I’ve seen in a while,” one user commented. Another criticized Trump’s cognitive abilities, stating, “This has to be one of the most impressive self-owns ever. His cognitive decline is scary and concerning.” Similarly, another user remarked, “Public humiliation—Trump is going down hard from his dementia deterioration. He twice can’t remember Ronny Jackson’s name. Trump needs a full-time caregiver to accompany him on his absurd campaign.”
Some users took the opportunity to mock Dr. Ronny Jackson himself, referring to his tenure as a White House physician. “Don’t take it the wrong way, Captain @RonnyJacksonTX…I’m sure he gets everyone’s name wrong who ran a pill farm for him while they were White House Doctors,” one tweet jabbed.
As the comments continued to pour in, another user sarcastically commented, “Welcome to today’s special edition of #ImagineIfBidenDidIt. Trump boasts of passing a cognitive test but can’t remember the name of the White House doctor who supposedly administered it.”
During his rally in Detroit, Trump also referenced a video circulating among Republican circles showing Biden at the G-7 summit. NPR reported that the clip, which Trump criticized, depicted Biden reacting to skydivers with flags from various countries. Trump’s attempt to capitalize on the moment backfired when a broader view of the video revealed Biden was acknowledging a skydiver who had just landed nearby.
The incident underscores ongoing scrutiny over Trump’s criticisms of Biden’s mental sharpness, juxtaposed against perceptions of Trump’s own verbal miscues and memory lapses. As the 2024 election cycle approaches, such moments are likely to continue shaping the discourse around leadership and cognitive fitness in American politics.
