Donald Trump IQ: Is the 45th President Considered a Genius?

Donald Trump’s IQ has been a highly controversial topic, much like the former president of the United States himself. While Trump may not come across as highly intelligent judging from his public statements, there’s no doubt he possesses business shrewdness and an innate ability to rile up the masses.

To solve the mystery of Donald Trump’s IQ, our experts examined his rise to fame, business endeavors, presidential activities, and other accomplishments, and in this article, we will share their findings and conclusions with you.

So, let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways

• Donald Trump’s IQ score is difficult to determine due to all the controversy surrounding the man; however, it’s sometimes considered as high as 145 or 156.
• Donald Trump was originally a real estate businessman who developed hotels, casinos, and skyscrapers, amassing fortunes through his Trump brand.
• In 2016, Trump became the Republican candidate in the presidential election, defeating Hillary Clinton in the race.
• Trump’s presidency was marked by questionable statements, controversy, and scandals, ultimately resulting in two impeachments and ongoing criminal investigations.

What Is Donald Trump’s IQ Score?

Donald Trump’s IQ score is a bit of a mystery—considering how polarizing the 45th president is as a person, different sources make different claims depending on whether they support him or not.

The former president himself likes to fuel this debate, frequently claiming he took a test and found out he had a genius IQ. In fact, he often uses this claim as a weapon against his detractors and political opponents who question his capabilities and intellect.

In addition, he’s been known to challenge his critics to an “IQ battle” to see who would score higher on an intelligence test. Although no one has ever accepted his propositions, it’s clear that Donald Trump puts a lot of stock in IQ.

However, despite his constant mentions of intelligence, he never actually disclosed his IQ level to the public. It’s difficult to say what that means, but it does muddy the water surrounding his intelligence further.

Although a portion of the public considers his intelligence to be average at best, some estimates put his IQ at around 145, claiming that Trump is almost as smart as his fellow billionaire, Elon Musk, who, according to our experts, has an IQ of around 150.

Others go even further, putting Donald Trump’s IQ at 156—only four points lower than Stephen Hawking’s IQ.

Donald Trump’s Early Life, Education, & Career

Donald Trump’s story begins on June 14th, 1947, in Queens, New York, where he was born as the fourth child of real estate developer Fred Trump and his wife, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.

Since the family was pretty well-off, Donald Trump attended private schools from kindergarten, including the New York Military Academy—a private boarding school that prepares students for college.

Then, he enrolled at Fordham University, only to transfer to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania two years later. At this institution, he obtained his Bachelor of Science in economics in 1968.

As soon as he graduated, Donald Trump was given a position in his father’s real estate company. Three years later, in 1971, he took over the company and named it the Trump Organization, which became an umbrella brand encompassing his numerous ventures.

Trump’s Business Ventures

The Trump Organization’s primary focus was, once again, real estate: building and renovating skyscrapers, casinos, hotels, and golf courses.

For instance, the company started its first Manhattan project in 1978 by renovating the Commodore Hotel, which reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel. That project was Trump’s introduction to the public and his first successful business venture.

In 1980, the same year hotel renovations were completed, Trump started developing Trump Tower, a famous skyscraper in Manhattan.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Donald Trump kept buying and developing hotels and casinos in New York and Atlantic City. Many of these ventures were unprofitable, though, and they had to file for bankruptcy a few years later.

However, Trump found a different way to make money and avoid financial trouble—he began licensing the Trump name for consumer products and services, such as foodstuffs, adult learning courses, and home furnishings.

Furthermore, he produced and hosted a reality show, The Apprentice, with contestants competing for a place in a business organization. The show ran from 2004 to 2017, though Trump left its production in 2015.

Donald Trump’s Political Career

Donald Trump was interested in politics for many years but was less decisive regarding which party suited him best. As a result, he changed his affiliation several times, switching from Republican to Independent to Democrat and back to Republican.

As a member of the Republican Party, he ran for president in 2016 against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Though his campaign was characterized as right-wing populist, contradictory, and generally unprofessional, he won and was inaugurated in 2017 as the 45th President of the US.

As soon as he stepped into office, Donald Trump issued executive orders to fulfill some of his campaign promises, such as building a wall along the country’s southern border and temporarily suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries.

Unsurprisingly, both were highly controversial and sparked protests across the country.

Furthermore, he immediately moved to repeal Obamacare, promising to replace it with another healthcare plan that would provide better coverage and lower premiums. However, since he had no concrete idea, his efforts largely failed.

Economic Growth

Despite his questionable politics and controversial actions, Trump did get some things right.

Even his detractors find it difficult to deny that some of his policies significantly improved the American economy, leading to an increase in household income and a decrease in unemployment.

He succeeded in that by signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a bill that reduced tax rates for businesses and individuals, incentivized entrepreneurs, and encouraged economic growth. This resulted in new job openings and improved income.

Unfortunately, this growth ended in 2020 with the arrival of COVID-19 and the global pandemic. Trump’s administration didn’t respond adequately to the crisis, which was reflected in the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden, the Democratic representative.

Donald Trump’s IQ-Related Controversies

Donald Trump has always been a controversial individual, both before and after getting involved in politics. His questionable Twitter statements are only the tip of the iceberg; if we dig deeper, we uncover serious allegations, criminal charges, and high-profile scandals.

For instance, at least 20 women have accused him of inappropriate behavior, ranging from sexual harassment to sexual assault. According to these allegations, Trump has acted this way since the 1970s and hasn’t stopped even during his presidential campaign.

Furthermore, Trump has been impeached twice: the first time for soliciting interference from a foreign state in the 2020 US election and the second time for inciting insurrection against the US government a week before he was to leave the White House officially.

Currently, Trump is being investigated for possible money laundering, national security breaches, and election interference.

Taking all this into account, it becomes clear that Donald Trump’s IQ is the least concerning thing about him. Whether it’s really “one of the highest” IQs, as the former president claims, or not, it’s clearly not enough to ensure he makes good decisions, nor does it guarantee decent behavior.

Take this free test to get accurate results

Discover your IQ score by taking our online IQ test and embark on your self-development journey today!

Start the test now

Final Thoughts

Although Donald Trump claims he has taken an IQ test officially, we may never get an actual confirmation of his score.

As a result, it will likely remain a topic of debate, with one side highlighting his wealth and business achievements as proof of his intellectual prowess and the other side emphasizing his bad decisions and immature comments as a sign of low IQ.

Ultimately, the former president is the only one who knows the real answer, while the rest of us must rely on our own opinions or experts’ educated guesses.

Dive into these posts to uncover the IQ scores of some of the world's most famous personalities:

• Magnus Carlsen IQ
• Mark Zuckerberg IQ
• Jeff Bezos IQ