Did Donald Trump claim bone spurs to avoid Vietnam draft?
Executive summary
Donald Trump received multiple draft deferments in the 1960s and was reclassified after a 1968 medical letter citing heel bone spurs, a change that ultimately kept him out of Vietnam [1] [2]. Reporting and testimony since then have produced competing accounts: the New York Times story based on the podiatrist’s daughters says the diagnosis was a favor to Trump’s father [3] [4], while Trump has described a doctor’s strong letter on his heels; his former lawyer Michael Cohen testified the bone‑spur claim was fabricated and said Trump provided no medical records when asked [3] [5].
1. How the bone‑spur explanation entered the record
Trump’s official draft history shows four student deferments followed by a 1968 medical reclassification after letters from podiatrists claimed he had heel bone spurs; that medical paperwork shifted him from draft‑eligible to classifications that exempted him from service [2] [1].
2. The New York Times/Daughters’ account: a “favor” to Fred Trump
The Times reported — and outlets including CNN summarized — that the daughters of a Jamaica, Queens, podiatrist told investigators their father diagnosed young Donald Trump with bone spurs as a favor to Fred Trump, the family lore that prompted questions about the authenticity of the condition [3] [4].
3. Trump’s own public statements and physical claim
Trump has publicly said a doctor “gave me a letter — a very strong letter — on the heels” and in some accounts even showed acquaintances his feet; he has not released contemporaneous medical records in public reporting cited here [3] [2].
4. Testimony from Michael Cohen and official skepticism
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, told Congress he believed the bone‑spur claim was made up, saying Trump produced no medical records and admitted no surgery; Cohen framed his role as handling questions about Trump’s lack of Vietnam service [5] [6].
5. Secondary reporting and historical context
News outlets and commentators note that deferments and medical exemptions were commonly used during the Vietnam era, particularly by men with college enrollment or family means; critics and some lawmakers seized the bone‑spur story to argue Trump benefited from privilege that kept him out of combat [1].
6. What sources agree on — and what they do not
Sources agree Trump did not serve in Vietnam and that a 1968 bone‑spur letter contributed to his reclassification [2] [1]. Sources diverge on motive and authenticity: the podiatrist’s daughters describe a favor [3] [4]; Trump and some associates describe a legitimate medical letter [3] [2]; Cohen says there was no supporting documentation [5].
7. Evidence gaps and limits of current reporting
Available sources do not publish contemporaneous medical records from 1968 proving the condition, and Trump has not produced such records in reporting cited here [5] [2]. The account from the podiatrist’s daughters is second‑hand family testimony rather than a contemporaneous medical note reproduced in these reports [3] [4].
8. Political uses and competing agendas
The bone‑spur narrative has been deployed both as political attack (mocking nicknames like “Cadet Bone Spurs” and campaign press releases highlighting inconsistencies) and as a defense of Trump’s statements about his health; proponents of each view cite different sources — family testimony, Trump’s own recollections, or Cohen’s congressional testimony — each carrying clear incentives to shape the story [7] [3] [5].
9. Bottom line for readers
Reporting establishes that Trump avoided Vietnam and that a 1968 bone‑spur letter played a key bureaucratic role [2] [1]. Whether that diagnosis was an authentic medical finding or a favor remains contested in the sources: The New York Times account (as summarized by CNN and others) presents the daughters’ claim of a favor [3] [4], while Michael Cohen’s testimony asserts fabrication and lack of records [5]. Absent contemporaneous medical documentation published in these accounts, definitive resolution is not possible based on the reporting cited here [5] [2].
Sources cited: CNN summary of New York Times reporting [3]; New York Times reporting as referenced by others and summarized in Newsweek/Business Insider [2] [1]; podiatrist daughters’ account in South China Morning Post summarizing the Times [4]; Michael Cohen testimony in Military Times/Washington Examiner reporting [5] [6]; campaign and commentary references [7].