A new revelation has resurfaced about President Donald Trump’s medical history, and it comes straight from an unlikely source: the daughters of his late New York doctor. According to Dr. Larry Braunstein’s daughters, Elysa Braunstein and Sharon Kessel, their father may have provided Trump with a Vietnam War draft-dodging diagnosis that was more courtesy than medical necessity.
Dr. Braunstein, a podiatrist who practiced in Queens, passed away in 2007, but his daughters recently told the New York Times that he allegedly diagnosed Trump with bone spurs, an ailment that exempted young men from military service. “It was family lore,” Elysa Braunstein told the publication. “Something we would always discuss among family and friends.”
While Elysa admits she’s unsure whether her father ever physically examined Trump, the story has been retold in their family as an example of how money and connections could influence life-altering decisions, per The Mirror.
Daughters Of Donald Trump New York Doctor Speak Out
The timing of Dr. Braunstein’s office lease also raises eyebrows: in the 1960s, he rented his Jamaica, Queens office from Fred Trump, Donald’s father. According to the daughters, the diagnosis wasn’t just a medical evaluation, it was a favor for the elder Trump.
This has fueled a firestorm online, where critics have quickly jumped on the story as further proof of privilege in America. One social media user tweeted, “just a rich kid who’s Daddy’s money kept him out of the war.” Another chimed in, “President Donald J Trump is also a draft dodger and did NOT fight to protect our country. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t value our freedoms.”
Of course, the New York Times notes that there’s no official documentation supporting the daughters’ claims, making it largely anecdotal. Still, the narrative adds another layer to a long-standing controversy over Trump’s medical records and his 1960s draft classification.
Bone Spurs or Backdoor Bailout? How Trump Allegedly Skipped the Draft
Many of his detractors see it as a symbolic example of wealth influencing policy and personal accountability, a narrative that continues to gain traction, especially as Republicans grapple with internal dissatisfaction.
Even if the story can’t be fully verified, the image it paints is hard to ignore: a wealthy New York family leveraging medical influence to avoid conscription during a tumultuous war. For residents of Queens and across New York, it’s a reminder of the way politics, money, and medicine can intersect in unexpected ways. And for Trump’s critics, the tale of the bone spurs is just another piece in a puzzle that questions how much of his early life was shaped by privilege versus merit.
As the political debate rages on, the story of Dr. Braunstein’s alleged diagnosis—and his daughters’ decision to speak out decades later reminds everyone that in New York, family stories sometimes have the power to stir controversy far beyond the city’s limits. Whether viewed as family lore or a serious allegation, it’s a headline that’s sure to keep people talking.
Preston Thomas 
Nina Franklin 
Lola Wheeler 
