Fact Check: Trump Avoided Military Service Due to Bone Spurs
What We Know
The claim that Donald Trump avoided military service during the Vietnam War due to a doctor's note diagnosing him with "bone spurs" is supported by several accounts. In the fall of 1968, Trump received a diagnosis of bone spurs from a podiatrist named Dr. Larry Braunstein, which led to his medical exemption from the draft (New York Times). This diagnosis has been described as a "favor" to Trump's father, Fred Trump, by Braunstein's daughters, who stated that their father often mentioned helping Trump in this way (Washington Post).
Trump himself has provided varying accounts of his military exemption, initially claiming it was due to a high draft lottery number, despite being medically exempted for over a year before the lottery began (CNN). His Selective Service records indicate that he was classified as 1-Y, a temporary medical exemption, which later changed to 4-F, a permanent disqualification (New York Times).
Analysis
The evidence surrounding Trump's draft exemption is compelling but not without its ambiguities. The account provided by the Braunstein family is based on personal recollections, which they describe as "family lore" (Washington Post). While this adds a layer of anecdotal evidence, it lacks formal documentation to substantiate the claim. The absence of medical records from Dr. Braunstein's practice and the National Archives complicates the narrative, as noted in multiple reports (USA Today, CNN).
Trump's shifting explanations regarding his military service, combined with the timing of the diagnosis, have led to skepticism about the legitimacy of his medical exemption. Critics have pointed out that it seems implausible for a healthy young man, who was active in sports, to suddenly develop a condition that would exempt him from service (Washington Post). The reliability of the sources, particularly the Braunstein family's recollections, is somewhat diminished by their personal biases, as they have expressed their own political views against Trump.
Conclusion
The claim that Donald Trump avoided military service during the Vietnam War due to a doctor's note diagnosing him with "bone spurs" is True. The diagnosis, while lacking formal documentation, is corroborated by multiple sources, including the Braunstein family's accounts and Trump's own medical classification records. The context of the diagnosis as a "favor" to his father adds a layer of complexity, but the central claim remains substantiated by the available evidence.
Sources
- Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?
- Donald Trump and the Mystery of the Spontaneous Bone Spurs
- Trump avoided Vietnam service because a doctor did him a 'favor ...
- Trump's Vietnam bone spur diagnosis made as 'favor' to father: report
- Daughters of foot doctor say he made Trump bone spurs diagnosis as ...
- Trump made up injury to dodge Vietnam service, his ... - Military Times
