US President Donald Trump on Friday shrugged off criticism from his opponents as he boasted about his cognitive abilities and intelligence during a rally in New York, saying he doesn’t mind being called a “tyrant” or a “dictator”, but he strongly objects to being called “dumb”. “I don’t mind being called a brilliant absolute dictator,” Trump told supporters, “but I don’t want to be called an idiot.” The comments came during a campaign-style appearance in New York’s Hudson Valley with Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, where Trump repeatedly strayed from the economic message and launched into a lengthy defense of his intelligence and mental intensity. At one point, Trump said that criticism surrounding his cognitive fitness prompted him to take a cognitive assessment, which he claimed to have successfully passed. He later told the audience, “I’m the smartest person you’ve ever met.” The nearly 90-minute speech switched rapidly between topics including inflation, crime, immigration, voter ID laws, transgender athletes and a dig at his predecessor Joe Biden. Trump repeatedly mocked Democrats during the event, referring to them as “Democrats”, a term he has used frequently in recent days, while urging supporters to stay politically engaged ahead of the congressional elections. “You have to go vote,” he said, “otherwise this is a rigged election.” The rally was held in support of Lawler, one of the few House Republicans representing a district won by Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. New York’s 17th Congressional District is expected to be one of the most competitive House races in the country and could play a key role in deciding control of Congress. The event also focused on last year’s expansion of the federal deduction for state and local taxes, commonly known as SALT, an issue of major importance in high-tax states like New York. Trump praised Lawler for aggressively pushing the measure through Congress and joked, “I call him Mr. Salt.” Lawler later thanked Trump for supporting the expansion and said the measure provided significant tax relief to residents of his district. Wearing a red “Mr. Salt” hat, the congressman said that more than 90 percent of families in the district are now able to completely deduct their state and local taxes. During the speech, Trump also defended his macroeconomic agenda. “I’ve cut your taxes, cut taxes on workers, families, small businesses, who are the soul of this state,” he said. “These are all Republican tax cuts. The Democrats voted against every single one of these tax cuts.” The appearance comes as the White House seeks to refocus Trump’s economic record amid declining approval ratings linked to inflation concerns and rising fuel prices following the Iran conflict.