Bone spurs legitimately exempted Donald Trump from the Vietnam draft
| Bone spurs legitimately exempted Donald Trump from the Vietnam draft | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "A genuine medical condition, bone spurs in his heels, made Donald Trump unfit for military service during the Vietnam War." | |
| Domain | History |
| Tactic | False Context Fabrication |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1968 |
| Origin | Trump's 1968 medical deferment and his later statements about it |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-01 |
| Further reading: books on History | |
Whether bone spurs legitimately exempted Donald Trump from the Vietnam draft has never been shown. No medical records have been released, and the doctor's family has said the diagnosis was a favor.
The claim
Trump received a medical deferment in 1968 for bone spurs in his heels and has said the condition was real.
What the evidence shows
- The deferments. Selective Service records show Trump received four student deferments and, in 1968, a medical deferment, which kept him out of the draft
- No records. Trump has not released the medical records behind the diagnosis. In a 2016 interview he could not recall which foot was affected
- The doctor's family. In 2018 the daughters of Queens podiatrist Larry Braunstein told The New York Times that their late father had said he gave the diagnosis as a favor to Fred Trump, his landlord. They had no documents, and the account cannot be confirmed
Why it matters
Trump has often questioned others' patriotism and military records. The basis for his own exemption remains unproven.
See also
Sources
- Steve Eder and Dave Philipps, "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet," The New York Times, August 1, 2016.
- Steve Eder, "Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?" The New York Times, December 26, 2018.