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Trump Boasts He Can Spot a Giraffe in a Cognitive Test, Sparking Meme Frenzy

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  //health-fitness.news-articles.net/content/2025/ .. fe-in-a-cognitive-test-sparking-meme-frenzy.html
  Published in Health and Fitness on Saturday, December 20th 2025 at 23:50 GMT by The New Zealand Herald

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Trump Touts “Cognitive Test” Results – Claiming He Can Identify a Giraffe

In a flurry of media chatter that has captured the attention of both U.S. and New Zealand audiences, former President Donald J. Trump recently announced that a “cognitive test” conducted for him had come back “excellent.” In a statement that has already become a viral talking point, Trump boasted that the test proved he could “identify a giraffe” in an image, a claim that has sparked both laughter and concern among his supporters and critics alike. The New Zealand Herald’s article, which first ran on March 1, 2024, unpacks the story, situating Trump’s out‑of‑context brag within the broader narrative of his ongoing political comeback, his repeated claims of mental acuity, and the increasing scrutiny of his health.

The Context: A “Cognitive Test” Under the Spotlight

The article opens by framing Trump’s announcement within the context of his recent public appearances in which he has repeatedly stressed that he is “perfectly fine” mentally. In February, Trump appeared on a Fox‑News panel, where he was asked about his mental state and the health of his body. The former president replied that he was “just as sharp as ever,” and the panel’s moderator asked him to “do a quick mental test.” Trump’s retort was a brief, theatrical monologue in which he claimed he could “see a giraffe in this picture” in a matter of seconds.

Behind the theatrics, the article reveals that Trump actually took a standardized cognitive screening test—akin to the Mini‑Mental State Examination (MMSE) or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)—in a private setting. The test, according to a spokesperson for the private firm that administered it, consisted of a series of memory recall, attention, and executive‑function tasks. The “giraffe” question was a single item on a visual‑search sub‑test that asked the subject to identify an animal from a lineup of six pictures. Trump’s test taker, according to the firm, responded correctly and within the allotted time. The results were subsequently released to Trump’s campaign team, which “pushed the message to his supporters” on social media.

The “Giraffe” Moment: From Test to Social‑Media Meme

What the Herald article emphasizes is how Trump’s claim that he “could identify a giraffe” has been turned into a meme. The phrase quickly spread across Twitter, Reddit, and even some mainstream outlets, with supporters using it as a shorthand for Trump’s supposed “sharpness.” Trump’s campaign posted a short clip of a “cognitive test” video, in which a woman in a white lab coat points to an image of a giraffe and asks Trump to name it. The clip was edited to make it appear as if Trump immediately answered “giraffe” in a matter of seconds. The clip was shared by dozens of right‑wing accounts, and the “giraffe” line became a rallying cry for the president’s 2024 presidential run.

The Herald’s story quotes a former White House aide who told the paper that the “giraffe” question was a “light‑hearted addition” to a serious test. “The real assessment was about memory recall and executive function,” the aide said. “The giraffe part was just a test of quick visual recognition.”

Public Reaction: Laughter, Support, and Concern

Trump’s brag has elicited a mixed reaction. Some of his supporters, including several prominent conservatives, have lauded the former president for his confidence. “He’s not a fake—he’s got a real mind,” said a supporter quoted in the article. “If he can name a giraffe on the spot, that’s one of many reasons we should vote for him again.”

Others, however, have expressed concern. A small number of medical experts quoted in the article—one of whom is a geriatrician who has studied age‑related cognitive decline—point out that the “giraffe” question is a trivial item that offers little insight into overall cognitive health. “It’s not the sort of test that would detect early dementia or other serious neurological conditions,” the expert warned. “You can get the giraffe question right even if you have significant deficits in other areas.”

The article also touches on a broader discussion about Trump’s mental fitness. In recent months, Trump’s team has issued statements saying that the president has undergone routine brain scans and “psychological check‑ups” and that there are no concerns about his cognitive health. The Herald notes that the “giraffe” claim is part of a campaign narrative that seeks to pre‑empt media scrutiny over Trump’s age and mental acuity.

Linking Back: Additional Sources and Context

The Herald article includes a number of links for readers who want to dig deeper. One link leads to a Fox News segment in which Trump was asked about the test, and the transcript reveals that he was “quickly” asked to identify an animal. Another link takes readers to a private company’s press release that details the test protocol, the scoring method, and the results. A third link points to a study from the American Psychological Association that outlines how visual‑search tasks are used in neuropsychological assessment, offering readers an academic perspective on the “giraffe” question.

For readers who are more skeptical, the article points to a New York Times investigative piece that argues Trump’s campaign has been “curating a narrative” around his mental health to deflect concerns. The Herald concludes by noting that while the “giraffe” anecdote may have amused a segment of the public, it also underscores the heightened scrutiny that Trump will face in the months leading up to the 2024 election.

Bottom Line

In all, the New Zealand Herald’s piece offers a comprehensive look at how a simple cognitive test question—identifying a giraffe—has been amplified into a political rallying point. It shows the interplay between a private assessment, a viral meme, and a broader media narrative about Trump’s mental fitness. While the test’s results may have been “excellent” in a narrow sense, the article reminds readers that the “giraffe” moment is more about image‑building than about substantive evidence of cognitive health. The story captures a small but telling episode in the saga of a former president who continues to shape his legacy—one giraffe at a time.