Trump Has Not Ruled Out a U.S. Military Draft amid Iran War, Says Press Secretary: 'Keeps His Options on the Table'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Donald Trump is keeping his "options on the table" amid the escalating conflict in Iran, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

-snip-

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Leavitt for her response to the concern that "moms are worried we're gonna have a draft."

The press secretary said a draft wasn't currently being discussed.

-snip-

Leavitt continued, adding, "It's not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-not-ruled-u-military-164053291.html

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Reinstating the draft would give Dems supermajorities in both the house and the senate

They will do what Bush did - stop loss current troops extending their tours.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

2. Nice teenage son you got there.

Be a shame if he got drafted.

[leftstreet]

3. Do it!

Watch your poll numbers SOAR!

[bearsfootball516]

4. Fear of a draft doesn't make much sense, imo.

Drafts are used when the military is undergoing such heavy losses in war that it can't sustain them through it's normal recruiting totals. You're talking tens of thousands of soldiers.

As awful as Trump's war in Iran is, there's no indication that something like that is going to happen.

[CanonRay]

10. If we put boots on the ground in Iran

those 10,000 causalities will happen pretty damn quick.

[Walleye]

5. Listen, Maga, young butt-hurt Bros who voted for him

When someone tells you who they are believe them first time, don’t be foolish and fall for this guy again. He wouldn’t mind sending you guys off to war as long as his own son doesn’t have to go. He hates disabled veterans, so don’t look for help if you get shot or blown up. Maybe having fun now ridiculing and laughing at women, but remember he could always send your ass overseas

[walkingman]

6. Maybe that will get young people to vote?? It worked for my generation in the 60s. ☮

[Brother Buzz]

13. Twenty-Sixth Amendment wasn't ratified until 1971, and it was, indeed, a game changer

Nixon saw what was coming down the pike and announced no more draftees would be sent to Vietnam eleven months later, six months before his second election.

[Omnipresent]

15. This!!

[Jim__]

7. I don't believe Trump has the authority to implement a draft. He needs Congressional action to do so.

And that's not something he can just ignore the law and do. Very few would accept Trump's attempt to draft them without proper authority.

[CanonRay]

12. Ha! That's quite funny actually

Since when has Trump ever given a shit about something being legal, or Congressional approval for that matter. He thinks he's King, and Congress has done zero to abuse him of that notion.

[Jim__]

17. It doesn't matter if he gives a shit. No one will give a shit about an unauthorized draft letter from Trump.

[rampartd]

26. he could just send out "press gangs"

but if employment situation for boys that age continue downward "economic conscription" might be enough.

[Historic NY]

8. And he definitely needs congress

As of 2026, nearly all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants living in the U.S. aged 18 through 25 are required to register for the Selective Service System.

They keep deporting immigrants.

[Johonny]

9. The draft is as popular as high gas prices

Trump really knows what people want

[sarisataka]

11. That would have to go through Congress...

…

I hope Trump doesn’t decide to start a draft

[no_hypocrisy]

14. Borders to Canada and Mexico likely to

be closed.

[hlthe2b]

16. They are such fools. Invading Iran will make Iraq & Afghani terrain look like the salt flats.

Iran has a population near 91 million--despite the Islamic Republic ruling nearly 50 years, it remains a highly educated population--not like those "shit-hole" nations Trump loves to spew about. The country is geographically roughly the size of Alaska, 2x times larger than Texas, and closest in size to Mexico. And did I mention the mountain ranges, including the Alborz mountain range a mere 12 miles from Tehran? Its ski resort, Tochal has long been both the pleasure and the bane of existence to many a Westerner given some difficult slopes. In addition, there are the Zagros mountains in the west and southwest. Yes, I DO KNOW. My parents were there with western companies in the few years before the deposing of the Shah and yes, I did experience it as well.

To think we could send in ground troops of Americans (or Kurdish or whatever the ethnic variety is on the table this week) and do ANYTHING with a population this large and geography that wide and diverse is just nuts. Have they even pulled out a map? A demographic summary? A history book? (Iran is not like Arab countries where Sunni Muslims predominate. 90-95% are Shia Muslims and they are PERSIAN, not Arab. Their Persian history goes back 4000 years BEFORE CHRIST, making it one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations. I'm sure they will all be impressed by our upcoming 250 year anniversary...

They (Trumpists) know NOTHING. The danger is not overstated at all.

[LeftInTX]

19. Iraq was basically "unstable" before we invaded it.

It consisted of factions under the thumb of a dictator. Get rid of the dictator and you have instabilitiy.

Iran really doesn't have factions or underlying instability. It's a pretty stable place. Get rid of a dictator and you just get another one. Their govt has layers and layers of protection. It's a bit like trying to conquer the Soviet Union via war. (Which we wisely never attempted to do)

[hlthe2b]

21. Yes. I get ya and agree with your comments in the second paragraph...

You might put the subject line and first paragraph in quotation marks to distinguish from your own beliefs to avoid confusion. Just a suggestion.

[LeftInTX]

22. I put "unstable" in quotes. Basically that's what Collin Powell said before the invasion.

He said Iraq would be in shatters. Iraq was created by the Brits and French after WWI.


Iran is a very different place. It has had very little foreign influence and it has fended off foreign influence for thousands of years.

[vapor2]

18. Send all of those he has pardoned

[Baitball Blogger]

20. What a brilliant man.

He encourages a toxic male environment and divides this country so decisively we're reaching out for each other's necks and now he's going to force all the young men to share barracks to fight for a cause that nobody, not even if the MAGAs, support.

Even I have no idea just how bad this is going to get. We are walking on new ground.

[oasis]

23. "wisely keeps his options on the table"

Gimme a freaking break.

[3catwoman3]

24. So the guy with 5 draft deferments wants to institute a draft?

Lead balloon, anyone?

[Munu]

25. If there is a draft, the draft resistance will be ...

... orders of magnitude beyond what it was Vietnam era.

In addition to the usual suspects like (for example) myself at that time -- not to mention rich kids like the president was at the time -- it will also include the sort of people who were gung ho back then.

A lot of right wingers who voted for Trump will not buy it so easily. Especially now that women will go too.

But what I'm really expecting is there will be not draft (although it will be discussed).

[louis-t]

27. Yeah, he's so "wise".

Wait until all of the MAGA moms have to send their boys and girls to Iran to fight and die and lose limbs and eyes because shithead had a 'feeling'.

[underpants]

28. It would require an act of Congress dumbass. Women are not included.

https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/everything-you-need-know-about-military-selective-service-system.html

While women have not been excluded from combat service since 2013, they currently are not required to register for the draft. The law as it's written now refers specifically to "male persons" in stating who must register and who would be drafted. For women to be required to register with the selective service, Congress would have to change the law.

AI

A modern U.S. military draft would be activated by Congress and the President, utilizing the Selective Service System's existing, modernized, national lottery system. It would primarily target men aged 18–25, prioritizing 20-year-olds first via random birthdate selection. The process, from authorization to induction, is designed to take roughly 193 days.
Selective Service System (.gov)

[Quiet Em]

29. Hegseth won't want any woke draftees though, right?

Draftees will need to be MAGA brained, con artist cult lovers. Perhaps they can find them on Elon's cesspool.