Is Donald Trump considering bringing back the military draft for the Iran war?
The White House appeared to refuse to rule out a draft for the Iran War as an option in an interview on Fox News, sparking furore from both political parties.
‘President Trump does not remove options off the table,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about a draft.
‘The president, as commander-in-chief, wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table,’ she added.
The comments come after Trump told supporters during the 2024 election that Kamala Harris would ‘get the US into World War III.
Trump said at the time: ’People’s sons and daughters will end up getting drafted to go fight for a war in a country that you’ve never heard of.’
Former MAGA hardliner and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has since turned on Trump and his administration, posted a scathing response to the suggestion of a draft.
‘NO DRAFT AND NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND because we campaigned on NO MORE FOREIGN WARS OR REGIME CHANGE!!!
‘Liars, every single one of them! Not my son, over my dead body,’ she added.
The question of American boots on the ground in Iran has also placed tension in the White House, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth were said to be ‘at each other’s throats’.
Sources told the MEE that Israel’s request to put US troops in Iran has split the pair, with Hegseth in support of it, but Rubio wary of doing so.
The last time America had a draft was in the early 1970s during the Vietnam War.
Trump could not bring back the draft with an executive order; rather, Congress would have to amend the Military Selective Service Act to authorise the draft again.
That’s highly unlikely, but Leavitt’s remarks about Trump’s mindset regarding the draft have nonetheless rang alarm bells for many.
While running for the White House in 2024, Trump vowed not to start a war, but to ‘stop wars’.
Political analyst and distinguished Service Professor Robert Spitzer, author of four books on the American presidency, told Metro that, from Trump’s point of view, a war with Iran is considered ‘America first’.
‘He insists this is in America’s interests—though he has not produced a consistent rationale for starting this war,’ Spitzer told Metro.
‘But this latest action does contradict his pledge to avoid foreign wars, of which he has been harshly critical in the past. His base now finds itself split because they have mostly supported his promise to avoid wars with other nations.’
Some Trump voters told Metro they were outraged over what they fear could turn into another lengthy war.
Others praised military action, which, they say, ‘should have happened years ago’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.