Category

IQ scores of
politics.

The category with the most documented hoaxes — invented scores here have twice reached the mainstream press.

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In this category

33 profiles

Each entry opens onto the full story behind the figure.

Thomas Jefferson, painted by Rembrandt Peale in 1800
Politics

Thomas Jefferson

160Most-cited figure
John F. Kennedy, White House portrait
Politics

John F. Kennedy

119Documented school score
Abraham Lincoln photographed by Alexander Gardner in November 1863
Politics

Abraham Lincoln

150Most-cited figure
Donald Trump, official presidential portrait
Politics

Donald Trump

156Most-cited figure
Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama, photographed by Pete Souza in 2012
Politics

Barack Obama

145Most-cited figure
George W. Bush, official White House portrait
Politics

George W. Bush

91Hoax figure, 2001
Winston Churchill photographed by Yousuf Karsh in Ottawa, December 1941
Politics

Winston Churchill

150Most-cited figure
Margaret Thatcher, photographed in 1983
Politics

Margaret Thatcher

135–150Estimated range
Angela Merkel, photographed in 2019
Politics

Angela Merkel

150Most-cited figure
Vladimir Putin, official portrait photograph
Politics

Vladimir Putin

130Most-cited figure
Henry Kissinger, official portrait as U.S. Secretary of State, 1973–1977
Politics

Henry Kissinger

180Most-cited figure
Bill Clinton, official White House portrait
Politics

Bill Clinton

182Hoax figure, 2001
Joe Biden, official White House portrait
Politics

Joe Biden

187Fabricated 2024 claim
Kim Jong Un, photographed at a September 2023 summit
Politics

Kim Jong Un

120Most-cited figure
Official White House portrait of Vice President JD Vance, March 2026
Politics

JD Vance

134Most-cited figure
Official portrait of Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State, January 2009
Politics

Hillary Clinton

140Most-cited figure
George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart (the Williamstown portrait)
Politics

George Washington

125–140Circulating estimates
Boris Johnson as UK Foreign Secretary, February 2018
Politics

Boris Johnson

125–140Our estimate
Jimmy Carter's official presidential portrait, 1977
Politics

Jimmy Carter

156.8Most-cited figure
Official portrait of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 2022
Politics

Volodymyr Zelensky

134Only figure found
John Quincy Adams, from a daguerreotype made between 1843 and 1848
Politics

John Quincy Adams

175Most-cited figure
Benjamin Netanyahu in his official portrait, photographed on February 1, 2023
Politics

Benjamin Netanyahu

180Most-cited figure
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official portrait as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 2025
Politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

125–140Our estimate
Kamala Harris in her official portrait as Vice President of the United States
Politics

Kamala Harris

120–140Circulating estimate
Ronald Reagan smiling in a dark suit, white shirt and maroon patterned tie, in his official presidential portrait from February 1981
Politics

Ronald Reagan

105Hoax figure, 2001
Richard Nixon in a dark blue suit and patterned tie with a small American flag pin on the lapel, in his official presidential portrait from about 1972
Politics

Richard Nixon

143Most-cited figure
Dwight D. Eisenhower in a gray suit, white shirt and blue polka-dot tie, in his official presidential portrait of May 29, 1959
Politics

Dwight D. Eisenhower

122Hoax figure, 2001
Theodore Roosevelt in pince-nez glasses with a mustache, a dark jacket, waistcoat and patterned tie, in a sepia studio photograph from 1904
Politics

Theodore Roosevelt

153Highest 2006 estimate
Franklin D. Roosevelt in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, looking toward the camera in a black-and-white studio portrait made in December 1933
Politics

Franklin D. Roosevelt

147Hoax figure, 2001
Gavin Newsom with swept-back gray hair in a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie, in his 2026 official portrait as Governor of California
Politics

Gavin Newsom

105–125Our estimate
Ted Cruz with a trimmed dark beard in a dark suit, white shirt and striped tie, in his official U.S. Senate portrait from January 2019
Politics

Ted Cruz

130–145Our estimate
Michelle Obama smiling in a dark top with a pearl necklace, in her official White House portrait of February 2013
Politics

Michelle Obama

115–120Circulating estimates
Xi Jinping in a dark suit, white shirt and gray patterned tie, smiling slightly, in a photograph taken in Beijing on January 29, 2026
Politics

Xi Jinping

115–130Our estimate

Portrait by Rembrandt Peale (1800), public domain. · Photograph by Cecil W. Stoughton, White House, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Alexander Gardner (8 November 1863), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by Shealah Craighead for the White House, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House photograph by Pete Souza (2012), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Eric Draper, White House, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Yousuf Karsh, Ottawa, 1941 — public domain in Canada and the United States; the Library and Archives Canada scan is CC BY 2.0. · Photograph by Rob Bogaerts, Nationaal Archief, CC0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by the Russian Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official U.S. Department of State portrait, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. · Photograph by Bob McNeely, The White House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House photograph by Adam Schultz, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Vladimir Smirnov / TASS, CC BY 4.0. Cropped from a wider photograph; background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House photograph by Emily J. Higgins (2026), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by the U.S. Department of State (January 2009), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Portrait by Gilbert Stuart (the Williamstown portrait, his copy of the Athenaeum portrait, in the Clark Art Institute), public domain. · Photograph by Velislav Nikolov (EU2018BG), via Wikimedia Commons (Informal Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, February 2018), CC BY 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official U.S. government portrait (Department of Defense / Department of the Navy, 1977), via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by the Press Service of the President of Ukraine (president.gov.ua, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Copy by Mathew Brady (c. 1855–1865) of a daguerreotype made between 1843 and 1848 by an unknown photographer, from the U.S. National Archives (Record Group 111) and digitally restored, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by Avi Ohayon (Government Press Office of Israel, February 1, 2023), CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and with background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (February 21, 2025), public domain (U.S. federal government work). Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by Lawrence Jackson (The White House, 2021), public domain (U.S. federal government work). Background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House portrait by Michael Evans (February 7, 1981), public domain (U.S. federal government work), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official presidential portrait (U.S. Army Audiovisual Center, about 1972; Commons file), public domain (U.S. federal government work), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House portrait (May 29, 1959; Eisenhower Presidential Library; Commons file), public domain (U.S. federal government work), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by the Pach Brothers (1904; Library of Congress, restored by Adam Cuerden; Commons file), public domain, cropped. · Photograph by Elias Goldensky (December 27, 1933; Library of Congress; Commons file), public domain in the United States (copyright not renewed), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by Charles Ommanney for the Office of the Governor of California (March 25, 2026), public domain (also released under CC BY-SA 4.0), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official portrait by the U.S. Senate Photographic Studio (January 31, 2019; Commons file), public domain (U.S. federal government work), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Official White House portrait by Chuck Kennedy (February 12, 2013; Commons file), public domain (U.S. federal government work), cropped. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street (January 29, 2026; Commons file), CC BY 4.0, cropped from a larger picture. Background removed for the portrait above.

More profiles are on the way. A name joins this category once its figure has been traced and a properly licensed portrait is cleared.

How would you compare?

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Questions

Politics IQ, asked and answered

How are IQ scores for politics estimated?

Not by testing anyone. Each figure on this page is inferred from the documented record — published work, contemporary accounts, verified qualifications — using a named method set out under how we read a number. Every profile shows its own workings.

Which of these politics has the highest IQ?

Thomas Jefferson holds the highest estimate in this category at 150–170. That ordering comes from the midpoint of each range and it re-sorts itself as profiles are added, so treat it as a convenience rather than a verdict. The full leaderboard ranks every category together.

How many politics profiles are there?

33 so far, and the list grows as figures are traced and portraits licensed. Browse the rest of the section from all categories, or start at the Celebrity IQ hub.

How do I compare my own IQ with these politics?

Get a measured number first. The IQ Metrics assessment is 30 questions and reports on the same 100-mean scale used on every profile here, with a percentile and an ability breakdown. How we score and norm it explains the benchmarking, and average IQ by country shows how the same scale looks across populations.

Where would you
actually land?

Your score, your percentile, your ability breakdown and a printable IIF certificate.

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