What primary-source medical or Selective Service records exist publicly about Donald Trump’s 1968 deferment?

1. What the Selective Service ledgers and files that exist show

Archival Selective Service documents obtained and reported by outlets show Trump registered and received four student (2‑S) deferments between 1964 and 1968, was classified 1‑A briefly in 1966 and then returned to student deferment, and after graduating was given a 1‑Y medical classification in October 1968 and ultimately a 4‑F in February 1972 ^{[2] [1] [3]}. Those entries and ledger notations—made available through Freedom of Information requests and reported by The Smoking Gun and multiple news outlets—constitute the primary Selective Service evidence in the public record about his draft status ^{[3] [1]}.

2. What medical examination entries exist in the public record

Some reporting cites a specific Armed Forces physical with an outcome listed as “DISQ” on Sept. 19, 1968, and the subsequent 1‑Y reclassification on Oct. 15, 1968, as recorded in Selective Service documentation ^[2]. Those machine-readable or transcribed administrative entries are part of the extant Selective Service file made public; they record classifications and examination results rather than detailed clinical findings ^{[2] [1]}.

3. What is not publicly available — the missing clinical paper trail

Multiple independent fact checks and news reports emphasize that most Vietnam‑era draft-related medical records were not preserved and that the Selective Service files in the National Archives do not include a full medical record or the original doctor’s letter that Trump has said he provided his local board ^{[2] [1] [3]}. News organizations that sought the doctor’s note or hospital charts report being unable to locate them and note that the Selective Service ledger entries do not specify the medical details underlying the deferment ^{[3] [4]}.

4. Why the archival gaps matter and how they shape competing narratives

Because the surviving primary sources are administrative classification entries rather than contemporaneous medical records, debate has centered on interpretation: supporters point to the official Selective Service classifications and the high draft lottery number as explaining non‑service, while critics note the absence of preserved medical documentation and raise questions about whether influence or incomplete records played a role ^{[1] [5] [6]}. Reporters have repeatedly flagged that a physical found him fit in 1966 yet a medical disqualification appeared in 1968, which fuels scrutiny precisely because the underlying clinical documentation is not publicly available ^{[7] [4]}.

5. Bottom line — the primary evidence that can be cited today

The authoritative, publicly available primary‑source evidence consists of Selective Service registration and classification records (listing the sequence of college deferments, the 1968 Armed Forces exam result entry, the 1‑Y classification, and the eventual 4‑F status) that were released via FOIA/archives and reported by outlets including The Smoking Gun and national newspapers ^{[3] [1] [2]}. There is no publicly available contemporaneous medical file or doctor’s letter in the archival record that explains in clinical detail the 1968 deferment; multiple reports explicitly say those medical records were not preserved or have not been produced ^{[2] [1] [3]}.

6. Open questions and where primary‑source research could still go

Because the missing materials are the very items that would settle the medical question—original physician notes, the draft board’s file narrative, or hospital records—the only paths to new primary‑source clarity would be the discovery or release of such documents from private custody or an unexpected archival find; reporting to date documents the administrative Selective Service trail but confirms the absence of preserved clinical records ^{[2] [3] [1]}. Until such material surfaces, the public record is limited to classifications and examination outcomes, not the underlying medical evidence.