Daughters of Queens podiatrist say their father may have helped Trump avoid Vietnam as a favor to Fred Trump


President Trump avoided serving in the Vietnam War largely due to a 1968 diagnosis of bone spurs, two years after he had been declared fit for military service and after four education deferments. Now, the daughters of a podiatrist in Queens tell The New York Times that their late father often spoke of helping Trump avoid Vietnam as a favor to Trump's father, Fred Trump, the podiatrist's landlord. The podiatrist, Dr. Larry Braunstein, died in 2007 and no paper records have been found to support the claim, but his role in helping Donald Trump get a military exemption "was family lore," said daughter Dr. Elysa Braunstein, 56. "It was something we would always discuss."
"I know it was a favor," Elysa Braunstein told the Times after the newspaper contacted her and sister Sharon Kessel, who corroborated Braunstein's account. They said the implication was always that Donald Trump did not really have a disqualifying foot ailment and a second podiatrist, Dr. Manny Weinstein — who moved into the first of two Fred Trump–owned apartments in 1968 — may have taken part in the apparent scheme.
"The small favor" their father got "was access to Fred Trump," said Elysa Braunstein. "If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately." Dr. Alec Hochstein told the Times that in the 1990s, Lenny Braunstein said Fred Trump was "very open to negotiating with him and letting him stay in the space at a rent he was comfortable with."
Trump has never provided a clear explanation for his deferment. He told the Times in 2016 that a doctor whose name he did not recall provided "a very strong letter" about his bone spurs, and he has often said that a high draft lottery number "ultimately" kept him out of the war, though the lottery did not begin until December 1969. You can read more about Trump's draft history and the possible role of Dr. Braunstein at The New York Times.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
‘The illusion of wealth can encourage people to take on more debt’
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?
Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying