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President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to himself as a "stable genius," but after nearly three years into his presidency, Americans are waking up to the fact that he's far from a genius and about as stable as a house of cards.
Someone needs to alert the economic advisor of his 2016 campaign, Stephen Moore.
Moore is the author of Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive Our Economy, which Trump endorsed via tweet. Moore was under consideration to join the White House for a position within the Federal Reserve, but withdrew from consideration after numerous sexist articles of his brought backlash.
That hasn't stopped him from continuing to praise Donald Trump. He attempted to vouch for Trump's character and intelligence in an appearance on Al Jazeera's Head to Head with journalist Medhi Hasan.
It didn't go well.
Watch below.
Moore: I bet Trump has 180 IQ. amazing breadth of knowledge Hasan: This is a man who thinks wind turbines cause ca… https://t.co/ZDIq6PFZB6— Catherine Rampell (@Catherine Rampell)1570635243.0
At first, Moore tried to dismiss Trump's propensity for lying, or—as Moore put it—exaggerating.
"I think Trump is an exaggerator, and I think it gets him in trouble. It's like he said we're going to get 5% growth. We knew we weren't going to get 5% growth."
Hasan immediately pointed out that, while Trump certainly exaggerates, he lies at least as often—if not more.
The conversation got even more laughable when the subject turned to Trump's intelligence, with Moore saying:
"I think people underestimate his intelligence. I bet his IQ … I think he's probably got about a 180 IQ. The guy is amazing, his breadth of knowledge about the world affairs."
Hasan wasn't about to let that claim go unchallenged:
"This is a man who thinks wind turbines cause cancer, you can stop a hurricane with a nuclear weapon, thinks you need ID to buy box of cereal"
Moore conceded.
"I don't know. I'm not here to defend everything Donald Trump says."
Twitter users were just as incredulous at Moore's statements as the live audience was.
@crampell @morgfair His longevity (Stephen Moore's) in the public area is frankly breathtaking. He is one of the di… https://t.co/fEo8vkZPgx— larrymark (@larrymark)1570641146.0
@crampell Interesting that Moore says they never expected 5 percent growth, even though Trump dangled that out as a… https://t.co/bWfHFtjB4X— Jim Zarroli (@Jim Zarroli)1570635808.0
@crampell Really the pertinent question is why Moore is taken seriously by anyone on any topic.— Your favorite president (@Your favorite president)1570643724.0
@crampell cognitive dissonance and moral decay on full display— Steven Cobb (@Steven Cobb)1570635554.0
But Hasan's expert line of questioning didn't go unnoticed.
@crampell @mehdirhasan is the best-prepared most productively relentless interviewer I know.— Freddie Johnson (@Freddie Johnson)1570635610.0
@crampell Mending Hasan is a national treasure. Stephen Moore is a national embarrassment.— Debra King (@Debra King)1570640164.0
@crampell @gtconway3d @mehdirhasan is always brilliant.— Deirdre Ford (@Deirdre Ford)1570638646.0
If Trump's IQ is 180, Hasan's must be off the charts.
You can find out more about IQ tests with the book Mensa: IQ Tests: A Complete Guide to IQ Assessment, available here.
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Have you listened to the first season of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!'?
In season one we explored the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.
We're hard at work on season two so be sure to subscribe here so you don't miss it when it goes live.
Here's one of our favorite episodes from season one. Enjoy!