March 9, 2026Updated March 10, 2026, 8:49 a.m. ET
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not rule out a military draft for the war in Iran.
- President Trump has not publicly commented on a draft but said he would only send ground troops for a “very good reason.”
- Reinstituting a military draft would require an act of Congress.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not dispel fears of a military draft for the war in Iran in an interview appearance over the weekend.
Leavitt appeared on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo on March 8, speaking about the war in Iran, rising fuel prices and the SAVE Act.
“Mothers out there are worried that we’re gonna have a draft, that they’re going to see their sons and daughters get involved in this. What do you wanna say about the president’s plan for troops on the ground?” Bartiromo asked.
“(President Donald Trump) wisely does not remove options off of the table,” Leavitt responded. She also echoed her comments from an earlier briefing, saying that having troops on the ground is not currently part of the plan, which is largely an air campaign. “The president as commander in chief wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation.”
The war has so far killed seven Americans, at least 1,230 people in Iran, nearly 400 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel.
Is Trump talking about a military draft?
A review of Trump’s appearances and interviews in the last week indicates he has not commented publicly on the possibility of returning to a draft for Iran.
Speaking to the press on Air Force One on March 7, Trump was asked under what circumstances he would send in ground troops.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate question,” he said. “Could there be? Possibly, for a very good reason, have to be a very good reason.”
In a September 2024 Truth Social post during the campaign, he indicated he would not implement a draft by saying a vote for his opponent would lead to a draft.
Reinstituting the draft would require congressional action
Returning to a draft would require Congress to amend the Military Selective Service Act.
The current military operations in Iran have not been approved by Congress as an act of war. Rather, under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can authorize military actions, but it limits troops from being deployed for more than 90 days unless war is formally declared. Only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution.
The last draft call happened in 1972 and the president’s authority to induct personnel expired the following year.
Was Donald Trump drafted for the Vietnam War?
Trump never served in the Vietnam War despite being of age during the draft.
He received four deferments from the draft for his education and a fifth in 1968 for a medical exemption. In 2018, the daughters of a New York podiatrist told the New York Times their late father gave the diagnosis of bone spurs as a favor for the landlord of his office, Fred Trump.
He has been repeatedly questioned about his record and said he did not serve in Vietnam because of his education and a lucky draft number.
“I had a good draft number and you know, so frankly I’m very you know, I feel fine about it. The Vietnam War was a war that was a mistake. It was big mistake, a horrible mistake just like Iraq was a mistake,” Trump said in a 2016 interview on the radio show “Imus in the Morning.”
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Christopher Cann, Melina Khan, Terry Moseley, James Powel, William Cummings, Christal Hayes, USA TODAY Network
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her onX (Twitter),Bluesky andTikTok.
