Trump gets a lot of things wrong when he talks about cognitive tests. He recently bragged to journalists that he “aced” one, and said the doctors at Walter Reed told him no president had taken a cognitive test before. That would be forgetting at least two other times Trump has taken cognitive tests, by his own account: once during his first term in 2018, and another earlier this year, in April. The White House said he scored 30 out of 30 on the April test.

He also consistently conflates cognitive exam performance with intelligence: “I said, ‘I won’t do poorly. I’m a smart person, not a stupid person,’” he told journalists.

These kinds of remarks get a lot of attention, in part because Trump is infamous for his meandering speeches, prompting questions about his mental acuity and memory. His physical health also seems to be deteriorating; the president has appeared frequently with bruises on his hand, and he sometimes has difficulty walking. The recent report that Trump had undergone imaging of his heart and abdomen—not a standard prevention procedure—left some doctors wondering if there is more to Trump’s health than the White House lets on.

But the president’s health isn’t the only concern here. Trump’s repeated mention of his cognitive feats politicizes an important issue facing a growing number of Americans—and it obscures what else is needed to measure and prevent cognitive decline. This is a conversation more patients, providers, and families will have as baby boomers age; by 2060, there will be more people who are 65-plus than there are children under 18 in the United States.

Between ages 55 and 90, people have a 42 percent chance of developing dementia, and most of that risk occurs........

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