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3471An old Fox News interview with President Donald Trump has gone viral again, thanks to one moment that viewers just can’t get over: Trump bragging about acing a cognitive test—and anchor Chris Wallace poking fun at him for it.
The clip, originally aired in July 2020, has resurfaced as a reminder of just how bizarre and combative the interview got.
The Poll That Started It All
In the sit-down at the White House patio, Wallace grilled Trump on everything from COVID-19 and racial tensions to the economy and the 2020 election.
But it was Trump’s detailed description of his cognitive test that turned into the standout moment.
That whole exchange began after Wallace brought up a new Fox News poll that showed Biden leading and noted that voters believed Biden was more mentally fit.
That prompted Trump to jump in with, “Let’s take a test right now.”
The Elephant in the Room
Trump took pride in passing what he described as a challenging mental exam, emphasizing how tough the final questions were.
“Incidentally, I took the test too when I heard that you passed it. It’s not the hardest test,” Wallace said. “Yes, the first few questions are easy, but I’ll bet you couldn’t even answer the last five questions. They get very hard—the last five,” Trump countered.
Wallace, trying not to laugh, replied: “Well, one of them was count back from 100 by sevens.” Trump doubled down, saying he got all 35 questions right and hinted that Wallace might not be able to do the same.
“They show you a picture and it says, ‘What is that?’ And it’s an elephant,” Wallace said, cracking up. “That’s it.”
Even at the time, the exchange sparked a wave of memes and mockery. Twitter lit up with jokes about the elephant question, and late-night shows quickly latched on.
Even those who usually defend Trump found it hard not to laugh. The scene became one of the most replayed moments from any of Trump’s televised interviews.
COVID, Claims, and Pushback
The rest of the interview wasn’t any less dramatic. Trump claimed the U.S. had the lowest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world—a claim Wallace immediately challenged with data.
Trump blamed rising case numbers on increased testing and said many of the cases were young people who would recover quickly, brushing off the severity of the spread.
He also defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic, said Dr. Anthony Fauci had made mistakes, and refused to endorse a national mask mandate. “I want people to have a certain freedom,” Trump said, adding that masks “cause problems too.”
Still, he quickly pointed out he’s “a believer in masks” and thinks “masks are good.”
Biden, the Election, and the Basement
Perhaps most jarring was his response to a question about accepting the election results. When asked directly if he would respect the outcome, Trump said, “I’ll keep you in suspense.”
The president also didn’t hold back when speaking about his opponent, Joe Biden. “Let Biden sit through an interview like this. He’ll be on the ground crying for mommy,” he said, suggesting Biden was mentally unfit for office. He later added, “Joe doesn’t know he’s alive.”
Wallace maintained his composure and pushed back when Trump offered misleading or false statements. At one point, Trump claimed Biden had signed a charter with Bernie Sanders to defund the police.
Wallace interrupted, “Sir, he does not,” and explained that the platform actually included increased funding for police departments that meet certain standards.
In one particularly surreal moment, Trump challenged Wallace to take the same cognitive test. “Let’s take a test right now,” he said. Wallace smiled, but declined.
The interview also touched on mail-in voting, cancel culture, and Confederate symbols.
Trump defended the Confederate flag as an issue of free speech and opposed renaming military bases named after Confederate generals. “We won two world wars out of Fort Bragg,” he said. “I’m not going to go changing them.”
Trump also addressed criticism from within his own family. His niece, Mary Trump, had recently published a scathing book about him and his upbringing. Trump dismissed it as “a lie” and called her a “very scarred person.”
Near the end, Wallace brought up polls showing Biden ahead. Trump dismissed them as fake, just like in 2016. “I’m not losing,” he said. “They were fake then and they’re even more fake now.”
The test brag may have grabbed the headlines again, but the interview is remembered for much more: the bickering, the fact-checking, the insults, and the strange mix of comedy and tension.
In hindsight, it was a defining media moment of Trump’s first term—and with Trump back in office, clips like these are circulating with fresh relevance.
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