President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are now publicly sparring over cognitive fitness, after Trump questioned Newsom's mental capacity and proposed mandatory cognitive testing for top elected officials, prompting a direct challenge that Trump has yet to answer.
The exchange began during remarks Trump delivered to House Republicans, where he raised the idea of compulsory cognitive exams for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. "They should give everybody, like, these [competency tests, right? Cognitive, they call it]," Trump said, before singling out several Democrats. "Do you think Walz could pass a cognitive test? Do you think Kamala could? I don't think Gavin could. He's got a good line of crap, but other than that, he couldn't pass."
Newsom responded within hours on social media, directly invoking the phrase Trump has repeatedly used when describing his own cognitive assessment. "@realDonaldTrump, if you're so confident, let's do it. Name your time and place," Newsom wrote, quoting Trump's now-famous line: "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV."
The post rapidly circulated online, drawing more than 1.2 million views and tens of thousands of engagements. Neither Trump nor the White House has publicly responded to the challenge, despite Trump's frequent use of social media to engage critics.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his own cognitive testing as evidence of mental sharpness. On Jan. 2, he wrote on Truth Social that he had passed a cognitive examination "for the third straight time," though no medical records or independent verification have been released, and Trump has not clarified whether the claim refers to multiple tests or repeated references to the same assessment.
The test Trump cites is commonly understood to be the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a screening tool designed to detect early signs of cognitive impairment rather than to measure intelligence or aptitude. Trump has previously emphasized memorizing and reciting the words "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV" as proof of success.
By repeating those words back to the president, Newsom aligned his challenge with Trump's own proposed standard, effectively accepting the framework Trump introduced. The governor has not indicated any conditions for participation beyond a public, head-to-head setting.
The episode has unfolded amid broader scrutiny of cognitive fitness in American politics, a topic that has increasingly surfaced across party lines. Trump has argued that mental testing should be normalized for senior leaders, while critics have questioned the selective nature of his demands.
Public attention has also been drawn to Trump's own verbal missteps and memory lapses, which have been widely circulated in recent months. Trump has dismissed such criticism and maintained that his cognitive health is unmatched among political leaders.
The debate spilled beyond politics into popular culture when Jimmy Kimmel took the same cognitive test on his late-night show. After completing it, Kimmel joked, "So I can be president," a line that underscored how the assessment functions as a screening tool rather than a competitive benchmark.
