Donald Trump faced fierce criticism on Tuesday after bombastically claiming the U.S. “would have won” the Vietnam War “very quickly” if he had been president when it raged.
Trump’s boast on CNBC came amid intensifying scrutiny over his war on Iran, which is now in its eighth week.
Critics on social media were quick to point out that Trump avoided serving in the Vietnam War, which dragged on for almost two decades.
He received four deferments while in college before being declared medically unfit due to bone spurs in his feet.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) referenced Trump’s deferments as he slammed the claim. “This kind of arrogance is exactly how America keeps getting stuck in long, bloody wars,” Kelly wrote on X. “We need real leadership and a plan and a goal to end this war in Iran, and he has none of it.”
Lawmakers, media personalities and others also weighed in: