Fact Check: "Based on the fact Trump's expressive vocabulary & expressive language skills are at a 3rd to 4th grade level, there is NO WAY is his IQ is higher than 105."
What We Know
Recent analyses of Donald Trump's speech patterns indicate that he communicates at a lower grade level compared to his presidential predecessors. According to a study published by Newsweek, Trump’s vocabulary was assessed to be around a mid-fourth grade level, marking him as the lowest among the last 15 presidents. This analysis utilized the Flesch-Kincaid grade level scale, which is a widely accepted method for evaluating the readability of English texts.
Further research from Marie Claire and The Independent corroborates these findings, suggesting that Trump's language complexity aligns more closely with that of a third-grader. For instance, a study by QRFY indicated that Trump's speech during a debate scored a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 3.12, which is equivalent to the reading ability of an eight-year-old child (Marie Claire).
Additionally, other sources, such as Truth or Fake and The Mirror, have echoed similar conclusions, asserting that Trump's communication style is notably simplistic. These studies consistently highlight that Trump's vocabulary and grammatical structure are less complex than those of previous presidents.
Analysis
The claim that Trump's vocabulary and expressive language skills are at a third to fourth-grade level is supported by multiple studies, which utilize the Flesch-Kincaid readability test as a benchmark. This method is recognized for its reliability in assessing the complexity of written and spoken language. The consistent results across various analyses lend credibility to the assertion that Trump's communicative style is significantly simpler than that of his predecessors.
However, while these studies provide a quantitative measure of Trump's language skills, they do not directly correlate language complexity with intelligence quotient (IQ). The assertion that "there is NO WAY his IQ is higher than 105" is more subjective and lacks empirical support. IQ tests measure a range of cognitive abilities, and while language skills are a component, they do not provide a comprehensive assessment of a person's intelligence.
Moreover, the sources reporting on Trump's vocabulary levels vary in their potential biases. For example, Newsweek is a well-established news outlet, while some other sources may have a more sensationalist approach. This variance in source reliability should be considered when interpreting the data.
Conclusion
The claim that Trump's expressive vocabulary and language skills are at a third to fourth-grade level is Partially True. While there is substantial evidence from credible studies indicating that Trump communicates at a lower grade level compared to other presidents, the leap to conclude that his IQ cannot exceed 105 is unfounded and lacks direct evidence. Language complexity does not solely define intelligence, and thus, the claim's latter assertion remains speculative.
Sources
- Newsweek: Trump communicates at the lowest grade level of the last 15 presidents
- Marie Claire: Study finds Trump has the vocabulary of an 8-year-old child
- The Independent: Trump speaks at level of 8-year-old, new analysis finds
- Truth or Fake: Donald Trump speaks at a fourth-grade level
- The Mirror: Donald Trump is proven to have the vocabulary of an 8-year-old
- MSN: Study finds Donald Trump speaks like a low grade elementary schooler
- We Got This Covered: Is It True that Donald Trump Can't Read?
- The Science Explorer: Linguistic Research Finds Presidential Candidates Speak at the Level of Kids
