Donald Trump: I’ve Had More Military Training Than A Lot Of Soldiers Because I Went To Prep School

As we approach three months into real estate mogul and angry cat toy Donald Trump’s huge and very classy White House campaign, we’ve all become accustomed to the boorish clown’s tendency to make outlandishly exaggerated claims that speak to his insecure narcissism and need to be seen as the most important person in the world. The sad thing, of course, is that with each personal insult, childish tantrum, blatant lie and appeal to white nationalism, The Donald’s poll numbers climb, and only encourages the overtanned silver-spooner to top himself day after day. It appears there no bottom of the barrel for him to scrape.

Therefore, we shouldn’t expect Tuesday’s latest revelation to hurt Trump in the least, especially with his fervent supporters who just want to hear him rant incoherently about Mexico, China, Iran and ISIS and how he’ll Make America Great Again for all god-fearing white people. The New York Times obtained an advanced copy of a biography on Trump by former Newsday reporter Michael D’Antonio. In the book and excerpts of interviews D’Antonio conducted with the celebrity billionaire, Trump stated that his experience at a military prep school as a teenager gave him more knowledge and training than a lot of soldiers who have actually served.

As many already know, Trump was able to receive multiple deferments from serving in the Vietnam War, citing college and heel spurs. The one time he did have his name entered into the draft lottery, he got a very high number and was not picked. Trump’s draft deferments came up earlier this year when he criticized Sen. John McCain’s war hero status, saying he was only considered one because he was captured and that he likes people “who weren’t captured.” McCain spent nearly six years as a POW in Vietnam and was held in the Hanoi Hilton.

According to Trump, even though he didn’t serve in the military, he felt like he did “in the true sense” because he “dealt with those people.” Also, he believes that he received “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.”

From the Times’ article: 

Donald J. Trump, who received draft deferments through much of the Vietnam War, told the author of a forthcoming biography that he nevertheless “always felt that I was in the military” because of his education at a military-themed boarding school.

Mr. Trump said that his experience at the New York Military Academy, an expensive prep school where his parents had sent him to correct poor behavior, gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.”

…

Despite sitting out Vietnam because of deferments followed by a high draft lottery number of 356 out of 366, Mr. Trump said that he endured the rigors of real military life.

“My number was so incredible and it was a very high draft number. Anyway so I never had to do that, but I felt that I was in the military in the true sense because I dealt with those people,” he told Mr. D’Antonio.

The author seemed taken aback by this claim. Not many of the academy’s alumni “would compare military school with actual military service,” he wrote. “But the assertion was consistent with the self-image Trump often expressed.”

During an interview for the book, Mr. Trump removed a shoe to show the author the cause of his medical deferment. “Heel spurs,” he said. “On both feet.”

Under any normal circumstances, this would be a major blow to a political campaign. But we aren’t dealing with normal here. No. What we have is someone who can literally say and do anything, and it will only bolster his standing among his fans. Why? Because he says unrepentantly racist and bigoted things and it absolutely titillates a huge swath of people in this country who are tired of the GOP using coded language and dog whistles and just want to hear unfiltered white supremacy. And that’s what he’s offering them.

So, even though these kinds of voters tend to love and worship them some vets and military symbolism, they won’t be fazed one bit by Trump’s exaggerations of his own military acumen or his placing himself above those who’ve truly served. Nope. They’ve fully bought into his fascistic leanings already and will support him no matter what. As long as he pushed white nationalism and nativism, he’ll be their man. And he knows it.