The Truth About Donald Trump's Experience In Military School

Former President Donald J. Trump is known for a lot of things — in particular, his lack of military experience. He is well known for his Vietnam-era draft deferments, though Business Insider notes that he was far from the only wealthy young man who managed to avoid service. Per the outlet, Trump avoided the draft five times, four of the five he did so to finish college. The fifth time, he cited bone spurs as the reason to avoid going to war.

However, during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in February 2019, Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified that Trump made up the injuries. "Mr. Trump claimed [his medical deferment] was because of a bone spur, but when I asked for medical records, he gave me none and said there was no surgery," Cohen testified at the time. "He told me not to answer the specific questions by reporters but rather offer simply the fact that he received a medical deferment."

What's particularly intriguing about Trump's evasion of military service is his history of attending a military school. Here is what we know about his experiences at that school.

When former President Donald J. Trump was 13 years old, his father, Fred Trump, sent him to military school. It was from those experiences that he became a person who controlled other people. Sources for Frontline's "The Choice 2020: Trump vs Biden" explained that the school was a five-year education in how to bully others. "Donald Trump yelled at his classmates," Trump biographer Marc Fisher, co-author of "'Trump Revealed," explained. "He pushed them around. ... He ruled dormitory life with an iron fist."

By his senior year, Trump had advanced to the role of Captain at the New York Military Academy, and he kept his cadets in line. While Trump asserts that he was promoted for keeping control of those under him, his former cadets say otherwise, per the outlet. Some of those former schoolmates told The Washington Post that he was transferred after allegations of hazing freshmen arose from his delegates, and Trump's leadership was under question as things got out of hand. 

It also wasn't uncommon for students to get hit when they got out of line. The infighting and ridicule was something that Trump thrived on, noted Gwenda Blair, author of "The Trumps," in the documentary. Blair explained that competitiveness was a driving factor for Trump during school. 

Former President Donald J. Trump had several major controversies during his presidency. One such moment came when he was supposed to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and chose not to. His alleged reasoning? That the final resting place of many American soldiers was "filled with losers," according to a report by The Atlantic. Per the outlet, when speaking to his senior staff that morning before leaving for the cemetery, Trump allegedly described the numerous marines who perished at Belleau Wood as "suckers" for dying in combat, although he later disputed these claims.

That said, John Kelly, Trump's longest-serving chief of staff, told CNN that these instances of military disrespect were true. "There is nothing more that can be said," Kelly responded when pressed for an additional comment, adding, "God help us."

Addressing the story from the Oval Office, then-President Trump vehemently denied the claims. "It's a fake story and it's a disgrace that they're allowed to do it," he said, according to The New York Times. "To me, they're heroes."