Assessment: Trump erroneously asserts that Harris advocates for reintroducing compulsory military service
Trump declared at a gathering in Las Vegas that voting for Harris means backing a war with Russia and reinstating the draft, a system that forces some men into compulsory military service.
Trump continued, "Is anyone in favor of being drafted, folks? That's what they're doing. She's openly discussing bringing back the draft. She wants to reintroduce the draft, draft your children, and throw them into a war that never needed to happen."
Fact Check: Trump's statement is unreliable. Harris has never mentioned the concept of reintroducing the draft and hasn't proposed any such measures.
Neither the Trump campaign nor representatives from Harris responded to CNN's demand for evidence to support this claim over the weekend. A Harris campaign staff member remarked, "We have no idea what he's referring to."
The US has not enforced a draft since 1973, following its withdrawal from Vietnam. (Trump received five draft exemptions during the Vietnam War draft, four of which were due to his status as a college student, and the fifth was due to a medical diagnosis of heel bone spurs.) Since 1973, the country has relied on a volunteer military force.
To reintroduce the draft, legislation would need to be passed by Congress.
Current Status
Male US citizens and non-citizen immigrants aged 18-25 are, by law, already obligated to register in a federal database system known as the Selective Service System, which could potentially be utilized to conscript individuals into the armed forces in the event of a future draft.
The inspiration for Trump's claim on Friday remains a mystery, but there has been a modest amount of media coverage related to the Selective Service System recently. Some members of Congress have been discussing separate initiatives to automatically register men for the database when they turn 18 and to start requiring women to register.
Both proposals encounter substantial resistance from Congress and may not become law. Regardless, neither proposal aims to revive the draft, and Harris herself has not advocated for its reintroduction.
Trump's assertion that Harris wants to reintroduce the draft is unverified, as she has not advocated for such a policy. Interestingly, some members of Congress have been discussing proposals to automatically register men for the Selective Service System at 18 and require women to register, but these initiatives do not aim to resurrect the draft.
