Men aged 18-26 had to serve in the army for 21 months under the draft unless they were suspended. In January 1973, once the U.S. ended its direct involvement in Vietnam, the U.S. announced that it would enlist in a volunteer force. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a declaration that the requirement for men to register for the draft ended.
Trump has also questioned the issue of going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, given his belief that those wars were advised. The president loudly wondered, “What did they get out of it?”, The same source told CNN.
The Atlantic specifically reported that Trump did not want to attend a ceremony at the American Cemetery in Bellewood Wood ne Sne-Marne, France, in 2018 because he was worried the rain would ruin his hair. Trump said the U.S. Secret Service prevented him from flying to attend the ceremony because of weather conditions.
CNN has not independently confirmed Atlantic’s report, citing unnamed sources.
Trump has categorically denied that he has anything but respect for the American service member.
“For me, they’re heroes,” he said at the Oval Office Fees on Friday. “It’s also hard to believe how he can do that. And I would say, the level of bravery and for me, he’s the perfect hero.”
He called the Atlantic article a “fake story,” and he and the White House pointed to an increase in military spending and pay rises for military personnel.
In a statement Saturday, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith called Trump “incapable of performing the duties of commander-in-chief.”
“The president claims he loves the military because it’s part of his political strategy, but he’s shown his true colors when the mix is off and the camera doesn’t come rolling,” Smith said. “He has no respect for our military; he sees our service members as window dressing for his news of the American presidency.”
This story has been updated with additional background information and context.
CNN’s Veronica Straklursi and Dan Marika contributed to this report.
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