Trump on Howard Stern (see video above): Dodging STDs in the 80's "is my personal Vietnam"

In an interview on Nov 4, 1997 with Howard Stern on the Howard Stern Sirius FM show, Trump compared his dating during the 1980s and avoiding sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) with being a soldier in Vietnam¹ (the video excerpt of note from that interview, as quoted below, is shown above and is also here² and here). Trump told Stern that avoiding STDs while dating in the 80's "is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier." He added "This is better than Vietnam, but it's uh... it's more fun."

Despite being eligible for the Vietnam Draft, Trump never served, as he received five deferments—four for school and one for medical reasons.³ The medical reason was ostensible bone spurs in his heel; Trump explained, "I had a doctor that gave me a letter—a very strong letter on the heels."⁴ But in 2016 Trump couldn't recall which heel or how the diagnosis was eventually resolved.⁵

Trump's contempt for US soldiers was demonstrated later during his presidency in several comments calling dead or wounded US soldiers "suckers" and "losers." Key reports among these were corroborated by John Kelly, a four-star general and commander of United States Southern Command, who served as Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security and White House Chief of staff in 2017-2018 (for details and sources, see article "Trump: US soldiers are "suckers" and "losers").

Further demonstrating Trump's eagerness to bask in the symbols of patriotism without an iota of sacrifice, in a rally in Ashburn, Virginia on August 2, 2016, one of his supporters in the audience gave Trump his Purple Heart medal. Trump then remarked: "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier."⁶

1. Buzzfeed News, "Trump Isn't Into Anal, Melania Never Poops, And Other Things He Told Howard Stern," February 16, 2016, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/andrewkaczynski/trump-isnt-into-anal-melania-never-poops-and-other-things-he#.ldZMnyq0a; The Daily Beast, "Draft-Dodger Trump Said Sleeping Around Was My 'Personal Vietnam,'" February 16, 2016, www.thedailybeast.com/draft-dodger-trump-said-sleeping-around-was-my-personal-vietnam; The Washington Post, "Donald Trump Says He Always Wanted to Get the Purple Heart," August 2, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/08/02/donald-trump-says-he-always-wanted-to-get-the-purple-heart/; Buzzfeed News, "Donald Trump In 2004 On STDs And Dating: It's Like Vietnam and Iraq," June 14, 2016, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/andrewkaczynski/donald-trump-in-2004-on-stds-and-dating-its-like-vietnam-and; The Washington Post, "Republicans, Save Your Party: Don't Give to Trump," June 22, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/republicans-save-your-party-dont-give-to-trump/2016/06/22/f56a8cda-37eb-11e6-a254-2b336e293a3c_story.html.
2. Buzzfeed News, February 16, 2016, op. cit.
3. The Washington Post, August 2, 2016, op. cit.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. The Daily Beast, "Trump: 'I Always Wanted to Get the Purple Heart,'" August 2, 2016, https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/08/02/trump-gets-purple-heart-from-fan-says-this-was-much-easier; The Washington Post, August 2, 2016, op. cit.