Did Leavitt say Trump hasn’t ruled out military draft, ground troops for Iran?

Claim:

In response to a question about whether U.S. President Donald Trump would put troops on the ground in Iran that also included mention of a potential military draft, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “It is not part of the current plan right now but the president again wisely keeps his options on the table.”

Rating:

Context

It was unclear whether Leavitt was referring to the draft or just sending ground troops into Iran when she said Trump “keeps his options on the table.” The president has said he would need a “very good reason” to deploy troops on the ground in Iran. He has, however, suggested that sending troops would be a possibility. At the time of this writing, there is no evidence he will authorize a military draft.

In March 2026, as the U.S. and Israel hit Iran with airstrikes, reports claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering placing American troops on the ground in Iran. In response to the reports, many online claimed Trump’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was considering authorizing the draft, which would require non-exempt men aged 18 through 25 to serve in the military if the government deems them fit for service. 

According to social media posts, Leavitt said Trump might consider drafting Americans to serve in the military. Per one post: 

Trump may draft Americans to fight Iran — Leavitt

Asked about fears of a draft, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt refused to rule it out, even as the US death toll keeps rising.

“President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table.”  

Leavitt did say all options were on the table when asked whether Trump had plans to send ground troops to Iran. Leavitt made the remarks during an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on March 8, 2026. Bartiromo’s question also mentioned that people were worried about their children potentially being drafted. As such, we rate this claim as a correct attribution. 

We have reached out to The White House to clarify whether Leavitt’s response referred to the military draft or just having troops on the ground. We will update this post accordingly. 

The video of the interview can be found on the Fox News website. The exchange takes place at the 5:36 mark. Snopes has reproduced her response in full below (emphasis ours):   

BARTIROMO: I want to get your take about this idea of troops on the ground. Mothers out there are worried that we’re going to have a draft, that they’re going to see their sons and daughters get involved in this. What do you want to say about the president’s plans for troops on the ground? As we know it has largely been an air campaign up until now.

LEAVITT: It has been and will continue to be and President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table. I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly but the president as commander-in-chief wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It is not part of the current plan right now but the president again wisely keeps his options on the table. But as commander-in-chief there is no greater priority or responsibility to this president than of course protecting the American people and protecting our troops and our bases in the Middle East which Iran has been threatening for 47 years. They have killed and maimed thousands of American soldiers, and President Trump was not going to allow Iran to attack our bases and our troops and our men and women in the Middle East first, and that’s why he took this historic action by launching Operation Epic Fury.

Bartiromo was addressing reports from early March in which Trump said he was considering sending troops on the ground in Iran. Trump told reporters troop deployment was a possibility but also said it would have to happen for a “very good reason.” At the time of this writing, there is no evidence that he will actually authorize a military draft.

Snopes has covered numerous claims regarding the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. 

Sources