Which doctors and medical records documented Trump's 1968-1972 deferments and how were they obtained?
Executive summary
Donald J. Trump received four student (2‑S) deferments while at Fordham and Wharton and then a medical deferment in October 1968 that was later changed to a permanent 4‑F in February 1972; Selective Service ledgers and National Archives summaries document those classifications [1] [2]. Contemporary reporting and later investigations tie the 1968 medical deferment to a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels and to a September 17, 1968 Armed Forces physical whose results were recorded as “DISQ,” but the detailed medical records that would name the treating physician and clinical notes were not preserved by the government [1] [3] [2].
1. What the Selective Service records actually show
Publicly available Selective Service documents and archival summaries show Trump held four college deferments (2‑S) from 1964–1968, was briefly classified 1‑A in July 1968, underwent an Armed Forces physical on Sept. 17, 1968 that listed him “DISQ,” and was reclassified 1‑Y (medical deferment) in October 1968; that 1‑Y status remained until it was changed to 4‑F on Feb. 1, 1972 [3] [1] [2].
2. Which doctor or clinic wrote the records: not definitively in archives
Available Selective Service and National Archives material do not include preserved medical exam reports naming the specific doctor who diagnosed Trump; the government destroyed most individual draft‑era medical files after the draft ended, so the official ledger entries do not identify the treating physician [2] [3].
3. Journalistic reporting that links a podiatrist to the case
Investigations by The New York Times and other outlets tracked down reporting and local evidence pointing to a Brooklyn/Queens podiatrist (often identified in press accounts as a doctor practicing near Trump properties) who may have examined or reviewed Trump’s case in 1968; reporters describe how civilian specialists sometimes reviewed draft‑board exams and made recommendations, which could have led to a 1‑Y classification [4] [1].
4. The “bone spurs” diagnosis and its provenance
Trump and campaign statements over the years have attributed the medical deferment to bone spurs in his heels; major news outlets — including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Snopes’ reporting — record that explanation and note that the 1968 exam is the proximate event after which the 1‑Y classification was granted [1] [5] [6].
5. Gaps in the paper trail: what’s missing and why it matters
Reporters repeatedly emphasize that most draft‑era medical records were destroyed, so there is no surviving government file that shows an exam note, x‑ray, or podiatrist’s letter conclusively linking a named doctor to the diagnosis; that absence prevents definitive, archival proof of who issued the clinical finding that led to the deferment [2] [3].
6. How journalists and researchers obtained the story’s facts
The Smoking Gun obtained Selective Service summaries via Freedom of Information requests and published the ledger entries; later New York Times and other reporters examined those entries, contemporaneous phone books and local records, and interviewed sources who recalled a podiatrist in the neighborhood — assembling circumstantial evidence that has become the basis for widely repeated accounts [3] [1] [4].
7. Competing interpretations and political context
Some of Trump’s statements have emphasized a high draft‑lottery number as the reason he did not serve, while archival records and reporters place the decisive event as the 1968 medical classification — a discrepancy that fueled scrutiny during his campaigns [1] [7]. Critics point to the longevity of the medical classification (1968–1972) as notable; supporters highlight the fragility of memory and argue the bone‑spur diagnosis was legitimate and temporary [1] [8].
8. Bottom line for researchers and the public
Primary government records confirm the sequence of deferments and the key dates (student deferments, the Sept. 17, 1968 physical, 1‑Y reclassification in October 1968, and 4‑F in February 1972) but do not contain the individual medical exam documentation naming the doctor; journalistic reporting has filled that gap with credible but circumstantial sourcing pointing to a podiatrist and to a bone‑spur diagnosis [3] [2] [1].
Limitations: archival destruction of draft‑era medical files prevents a conclusive archival identification of the specific physician or clinic; available sources do not mention an extant medical note or signed physician letter preserved in federal records [2] [3].