Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s decades-old secret resurfaces after doctor’s daughter speaks out
Questions surrounding Donald Trump’s military draft exemption are back in the spotlight after new claims revived one of the most debated episodes from his early adulthood.
The renewed attention comes at a time when the 80-year-old president is already facing increased scrutiny over his health, creating an uncomfortable collision between allegations from the past and confirmed medical issues in the present.
Family members allege draft diagnosis was a favor
According to a report cited by Irish Star, two daughters of late New York podiatrist Dr. Larry Braunstein told The New York Times they believe Trump’s diagnosis of bone spurs was not medically justified, but instead arranged as a personal favor that helped him avoid military service during the Vietnam War.
Dr. Elysa Braunstein said her father never hid what he believed had happened.
“I know it was a favor.”
She also described the close relationship between her father and Trump’s father, Fred Trump, who owned apartment buildings in Queens where the podiatrist was a tenant. According to her account, maintenance issues at the buildings were handled quickly whenever her father contacted the landlord.
Neither daughter said they knew for certain whether Trump had actually undergone a foot examination, and no medical records from the period have been located.
Exemption has long fueled debate
Trump had already received four student deferments before becoming eligible for the draft in 1968, when his education no longer postponed military service.
That was the year he received a medical exemption based on bone spurs in his heels.
Trump has consistently maintained that the diagnosis was legitimate. During a previous interview, he said a doctor provided documentation supporting his condition, recalling that the physician had given him “a very strong letter” regarding his heels. At the same time, he said he could no longer remember the doctor’s name.
Current health concerns draw renewed attention
While the decades-old draft exemption has resurfaced, Trump’s present-day health has also become a subject of public discussion.
The White House recently confirmed that the president has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a circulatory condition that affects the veins and can make it difficult for blood to return efficiently to the heart.
The condition can cause swelling, aching and pain in the affected limbs, and has prompted renewed attention to the president’s overall health as he continues his second term in office.
