‘What’s your IQ?’: Trump’s IQ score hoax is shaking up the internet

Contrary to popular belief, Donald Trump does not have an IQ of 73. I’m just as shocked as you are.

Jokes aside, a recent hoax claiming that Trump’s IQ is indeed in the double digits has resurfaced on the internet. The hoax comes by way of X user Nurses Against Dick Pics (a noble cause) who posted a doctored article saying that Trump scored a 73 on an IQ test while a student at New York Military Academy in Brooklyn.

Some of Trump’s critics took it as the gospel truth.

And of course, Trump’s defenders were quick to clap back with evangelical fury.

If only Trump would answer that same question with a real number.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that negative 0 is not an actual number? And the proper way to spell IQ is a far cry from what’s written there? But maybe a super intelligent stable genius would know better?

Oh those low-IQ liberals just fall for anything, don’t they? Though considering Trump’s economy-breaking-surely-you-aren’t-so-stupid-to-think-this-is-a-good-idea tariff plan, can you blame people for wondering if the man is really all there?

Granted, an IQ of 73 is a signifier of an intellectual disability. At nearly 30 points below the average, a person with such an IQ would require a high amount of care in order to properly function. While I’m sure a mental health professional would have a field day diagnosing Trump for his narcissistic and antisocial tendencies, it’s not accurate, or fair to people who actually suffer from intellectual disabilities, to characterize him as such.

That being said, “low-IQ” is one of Trump’s go to phrases to mock his political opponents. While campaigning against Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, Trump frequently called his opponent “low-IQ” and “dumb.” Over the years, Trump has shown a borderline obsession with a person’s IQ as a matter of their worth. While he has never stated his IQ, he often boasts on social media that it is “one of the highest” or in some cases “the highest” of all… sure, Donny.

According to Trump biographer Gwenda Blair, Trump’s obsession with IQ is a “lifelong theme.” Blair argues that his view of IQ as the be and end all signifier of intelligence stems from outdated scientific theories surrounding human intellect. “Measuring someone’s intelligence is not simply a matter of taking one test with a sharpened No. 2 pencil. Donald Trump came of age before that whole notion, for sure,” said Blair. “He’s still thinking in terms of that No. 2 pencil.”

Speaking of people born before modern notions of intelligence, X user SUPER ULTRA MEGA MAGADONIAN claims to have found Trump’s IQ test in his grandfather’s closet, and says Trump scored a 218. Considering Stephen Hawking’s IQ sat around 160, this would make Trump a “stable genius” whose mental acuity exceeds anything seen by mankind.

According to a poll that came out around the same time as Trump’s famous “stable genius” Tweet, the majority of Americans thought he was an “idiot.” Is this a case of an incendiary but misunderstood intellect? Or Trump really just a wet match in a dark cave? It’s a tough call, but I’m gonna cast my ballot for the latter.