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Comparison of Donald Trump's Vietnam deferments to Joe Biden's
Executive summary
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden avoided serving in Vietnam through a combination of student and medical draft classifications: Trump received four student deferments and a medical deferment (bone spurs) and was later assigned a high draft-lottery number, per Selective Service records [1] [2]; Biden received five student deferments and later a medical classification (1‑Y for asthma) that made him exempt except in a national emergency, with his records released to the AP in 2008 [3] [4]. Reporting and fact checks agree each had multiple deferments, but sources differ on emphasis — Trump’s medical deferment and the preservation of his records are disputed, while Biden’s asthma history is documented in his released records [1] [3].
1. Both men had multiple student deferments — the basic record
Contemporary reporting and archival records show Donald Trump was granted four college (student) deferments between 1964 and 1968 and then a medical deferment after graduating, according to Selective Service files obtained by news organizations [2] [1]. Joe Biden likewise received multiple student deferments — five by most accounts — while an undergraduate and a law student, as his Selective Service records were released to The Associated Press in 2008 [3] [4].
2. The medical classifications that ultimately prevented service were different on paper
Trump’s medical classification is reported as a minor deferment for bone spurs in his heels; Selective Service documents and coverage note that the 1968 medical exemption’s details are “unclear and controversial” because many medical records from that era were not preserved [5] [6] [1]. Biden’s medical outcome was a 1‑Y classification after a 1968 physical exam tied to a history of asthma, which the campaign released and which a fact check and reporting cite as the basis for his disqualification except in a national emergency [3] [4].
3. Lottery numbers and public explanations — competing narratives
Trump has sometimes emphasized that a high draft lottery number (356 of 365) kept him from being called, while reporting of his Selective Service records shows the medical deferment remained in place during the war — a point used to challenge his public account [5] [7] [1]. Available reporting indicates the Trump campaign’s focus on the lottery has been criticized as incomplete because the medical deferment was on the record [7] [1]. For Biden, accounts focus less on a lottery argument and more on the released 1‑Y classification and his earlier student deferments [3] [4].
4. What fact-checks and investigative outlets agree on — and where they diverge
Fact-checking outlets and archival reporting converge that both men received multiple student deferments and later a medical classification that kept them out of regular service during the Vietnam era [3] [1] [4]. They diverge in tone: some investigations and commentators stress Trump’s bone‑spur deferment as controversial and note missing medical documentation [1] [7], while reporting on Biden highlights the public release of his Selective Service records documenting asthma-related disqualification [3] [4].
5. Political context — why the records matter now
Coverage shows draft records have been used as political ammunition: critics of Trump portrayed his deferments as a privilege-based dodge, and political operatives have pointed out Biden’s similar history to counter that criticism [1] [8] [9]. InsideSources and other outlets note that scrutiny of Trump’s record prompted examination of Biden’s — sometimes with partisan intent — illustrating how draft history can be reframed into attack or defense narratives during campaigns [8] [10].
6. Limits of available reporting and remaining open questions
Key limits: many Vietnam-era medical files were not preserved, so exact clinical details for Trump’s bone‑spur deferment remain contested and some reporting stresses a lack of contemporaneous medical documentation [5] [7] [1]. For Biden, records released to the AP provide more documentary clarity on the asthma-related classification, but interpretations of motive and comparative culpability remain matters of political debate rather than settled factual disputes in the sources [3] [4].
7. Bottom line for readers weighing the two cases
Both men legally avoided service through student deferments and subsequent medical classifications according to available Selective Service records and reporting; Biden’s disqualification for asthma is documented in released files while Trump’s bone‑spur deferment is documented but hampered by missing contemporaneous medical files and contested explanations about the role of his lottery number [3] [1] [5]. Readers should note the dual reality in sources: the procedural similarity is clear, but the evidentiary depth and public narratives differ and have been used strategically in political discourse [1] [8].
If you want, I can assemble a side‑by‑side timeline with the deferment dates and classifications for each man drawn from these sources.