FACT CHECK: Post Incorrectly Claims Trump Mandated Military Service

A post shared on Threads claims 2024 presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump purportedly said he would require a minimum of two years of military service for all American citizens over the age of 18.

Post by @roytumulak

View on Threads

Verdict: False

Trump denied the claim via a June 11 post shared on TRUTH Social. The claim appears to stem from a Washington Post article discussing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a standardized test developed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for military recruitment.

Fact Check:

Trump met with Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on June 17 at his Mar-a-Lago residence, according to CBS News. Johnson confirmed the meeting in a post shared via his verified X account, the outlet reported.

The Threads post, which has garnered over 300 likes as of writing, claims Trump purportedly said he would require a minimum of two years of military service for all American citizens over the age of 18. The post does not provide a source to support its claim.

The claim is false, however, and appears to stem from a June 11 Washington Post article discussing the ASVAB, a standardized test developed by the U.S. DOD for military recruitment.

The article claims Christopher Miller, the former Acting Secretary of Defense from November 2020 to January 2021 has a “detailed plan” for the ASVAB if Trump is re-elected as president. Trump praised Miller during his administration and Miller might “reprise his role as defense secretary” if Trump is re-elected, also according to the outlet.

Trump denied the article’s claim via a TRUTH Social post shared on the same day.

“The Fake News Washington Post came up with the ridiculous idea that Donald J. Trump will call for Mandatory Military Service. This is only a continuation of their EIGHT YEAR failed attempt to damage me with the Voters. The Story is completely untrue. In fact, I never even thought of that idea. Only a degenerate former Newspaper, which has lost 50% of its Readers, would fabricate such a tale. Just another Fake Story, one of many, made up by the DEAD Washington Compost!,” Trump wrote. A Trump spokesperson directed Check Your Fact to the TRUTH Social post when asked to comment on the claim.

Likewise, Reuters also reported the claim made via the Threads post was false on June 17. (RELATED: No, A Fourth Juror From Trump’s Trial Was Not Arrested)

Trump’s explicit denial of the claim prompted the Washington Post to update its article to include his statement.

“On Tuesday, after publication of this report, Trump wrote on social media that the idea he would call for mandatory military service was ‘ridiculous’ and attacked The Washington Post for what he said was a ‘failed attempt to damage me with the Voters,’” the outlet indicated via the same June 11 article.

Besides Threads, the claim about Trump and purported mandatory military service also circulated on Facebook, according to Reuters.