Fact Check: Did Donald Trump really score a mere 73 on IQ test at New York Military Academy?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A wild rumor recently surfaced claiming that President-elect Donald Trump scored a mere 73 on an IQ test during his time at the New York Military Academy (NYMA).

But before you start spreading the tea, it is important to break down the claims and uncover the truth.

The rumor that got everyone talking about Trump's IQ score

Here’s how it all started: Social media posts popped up claiming Trump’s supposedly dismal IQ score had been unearthed in a box of old files by a man named William Askew Jr.

The story goes that Askew found these results while cleaning out his late father’s apartment. Askew’s father was allegedly a counselor at NYMA during Trump’s time there.

The posts included a snippet styled like a newspaper article that read:

Trump IQ test results discovered in former NYMA employee's closet.

The result: 73

The results of an IQ test that President Donald Trump allegedly took during his first year at New York Military Academy have been discovered in a file box in a closet in Brooklyn. According to the test results, Trump's IQ is 73.

The document, currently in the process of being authenticated, was discovered Thursday by William Askew, Jr. as he was cleaning out his late father's apartment.
"Dad was the school counselor at NYMA from 1955 to 1985. He didn't administer these tests, but he was in charge of collecting them and sending them to the grading office," said Askew.

Askew produced additional documents and photographs that confirm his father was indeed employed as a school counselor at NYMA at the same time Trump attended the military prep school.

"I don't think this should be news to anybody," said Askew. "The guy's clearly a total moron."

But the story doesn’t exactly hold up when we dig further.

Fact Check: False

According to Snopes, this entire rumor is about as real as a reality show script. The image of the “newspaper article” has been thoroughly debunked. First flagged in 2019, the so-called article features doctored images and a bogus backstory.

Let’s start with the photos. One of the images, allegedly showing Askew Jr, is actually an Adobe Stock photo. The other picture — claimed to be Askew’s father — is a shot of Lawrence Hanson, the principal of a high school in North Dakota back in 1950.

If that’s not enough to burst the bubble, Snopes also dug through archives like Newspapers.com and Google to find any credible mention of Trump’s alleged IQ score. Spoiler alert: there was nothing. Not a single shred of evidence supports the claim.

What's more? A former NYMA student who overlapped with Trump had no recollection of IQ tests - or anyone named William Askew.

Jack Serafin, who attended NYMA from 1962 to 1967, said, "The only testing criteria I remember was kind of an SAT for admittance to a prep school that I took prior to applying. This did not occur at NYMA, but at another venue, and was part of my application process."

Serafin also noted that his mother worked at the school after he graduated, keeping him closely tied to the academy. Yet, he insisted that Askew’s name never came up.

"My mother was on the nursing staff for about three years after I left, so I remained close to the academy and staff, I have no recollection of a 'William Askew' during that time period. He is not listed in my yearbooks as being involved," Serafin clarified.

Trump’s IQ has always been a hot topic

Long before this rumor hit the Internet, Trump himself wasn't shy when it came to boasting about his intellect.

Back in 2013, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare: “I know some of you may think I’m tough and harsh but actually I’m a very compassionate person (with a very high IQ) with strong common sense.”

While Trump’s IQ has been a subject of speculation for years, there’s no concrete evidence of any official test results - good, bad, or otherwise.

So, did Trump score a 73 on an IQ test at NYMA? All signs point to no. The “evidence” is riddled with errors, from doctored photos to fabricated names.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online