Donald Trump's confusing explanation for how he avoided the Vietnam draft
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Donald Trump is pretty sure he got out of being drafted for the Vietnam War because of heel spurs, but he can't seem to remember which heel it was that gave him problems, when the injury finally cleared up, or how serious the heel spurs actually were.
While Trump's explanations for why he deferred the draft have varied — sometimes it's a lucky lottery number, sometimes it's a health problem despite his "astonishingly excellent" health — the Republican nominee assured The New York Times that it was, indeed, due to heel spurs. "I had a doctor that gave me a letter — a very strong letter on the heels," Trump said, though he never ended up providing that letter to the Times and could not remember the name of the doctor who had written it.
Trump explained the heel spurs, which are caused by a calcium build-up, were "not a big problem, but it was enough of a problem" to exempt him from the draft. At another point in the interview, he said the heels were a "minor" injury, but he also claimed the spurs made things "difficult from the long-term walking standpoint."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And after all that, the heel spurs weren't "enough of a problem" to appear in Trump's record of health released by his physician in December. Head over to The New York Times for more details on the murky circumstances surrounding Trump's Vietnam deferment.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The President’s Cake: ‘sweet tragedy’ about a little girl on a baking mission in IraqThe Week Recommends Charming debut from Hasan Hadi is filled with ‘vivid characters’
-
Kia EV4: a ‘terrifically comfy’ electric carThe Week Recommends The family-friendly vehicle has ‘plush seats’ and generous space
-
Bonfire of the Murdochs: an ‘utterly gripping’ bookThe Week Recommends Gabriel Sherman examines Rupert Murdoch’s ‘war of succession’ over his media empire
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump