Trump Dodged Vietnam Thanks to Fake "Bone Spurs" Diagnosis

In one breath, Trump commends soldiers for working hard to protect our country. In the next, he insults prisoners of war, quarrels with a slain soldier’s parents and disparages those who aren’t candid about their involvement in the Vietnam War (in October, he insulted Senator Richard Blumenthal for being dishonest about his time in Vietnam).

Donald Trump was diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels in 1968, an analysis that would exempt him from military service in the Vietnam War. The Times found that Dr. Larry Braunstein, who died in 2007, was the podiatrist who provided Trump with that diagnosis and reached out to his two daughters, Dr. Elysa Braunstein and Sharon Kessel. Dr. Elysa Braunstein said “it was family lore,” and “something we would always discuss.” She added, “I know it was a favor,” and implied that her father knew that the young Trump didn’t actually have bone spurs. Apparently, at the time, Dr. Braunstein saw it as a kindness.