US President Donald Trump avoided conscription in the 1960s thanks to his father's connections. He knew an orthopedic doctor who gave his son a false medical diagnosis, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This statement was made by the influential newspaper The New York Times.
The publication refers to information received from the daughters of New York orthopedist Larry Brownstein, who died in 2007. The women say their father often told them that he had done construction magnate Fred Trump (1905-1999) a favor by giving his son a bogus diagnosis. It was allegedly about bone growths on the legs, which was included in the list of diseases that at that time made it possible to legally evade military service.
The New York Times wrote that Trump was diagnosed with bone spurs in 1968, during the United States' war in Vietnam (1965-1975). Before this, Trump was given a deferment from military service four times in connection with his studies, the publication indicated. At the same time, the newspaper admits that it was unable to find documents confirming that Brownstein actually examined Trump or responded to any requests from his father.
The doctor’s daughters claim that he deliberately organized everything so that later, if necessary, he would be able to use the reciprocal services of Trump Sr. In the 1960s, Brownstein rented an office in one of the tycoon's buildings in Queens. According to the daughters, if their father had problems with rent, he would call Fred Trump and all the problems would be solved. The women told the publication that, according to their father, Trump Jr. did not have any disease, and perhaps there was no examination, but only a statement of the diagnosis.
The New York Times recalled that in an interview with the newspaper in 2016, Trump said that he avoided military service after a certain doctor, after conducting an examination, discovered problems with his feet and drew up a corresponding medical report. Trump did not remember the doctor’s name at the time, saying that it was a very long time ago.