In the wild world of radio in the 1990s, Donald Trump had an incident on Howard Stern’s show that continues to be discussed to this day. He compared his dating life in the 1980s to fighting in the Vietnam War, which was a rather daring analogy. In specific, he called avoiding sexually transmitted diseases his ‘personal Vietnam’ due to the difficulties he encountered, and this statement has undoubtedly attracted attention both then and now.
Trump, who dodged the draft, said avoiding STDs was his “personal Vietnam”: “I feel like a great and very brave soldier” pic.twitter.com/v423xjMvA7
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 9, 2024
The 1997 interview offered an open and, in some ways, startling insight into Trump’s intimate relationships. The real estate tycoon talked about navigating the dating scene during the AIDS pandemic with co-host Robin Quivers and Stern. “It is a dangerous world out there. It’s scary, like Vietnam, sort of like the Vietnam era.” He added that avoiding STDs was ‘my personal Vietnam.’ However, Trump continued, “I feel like a great and very brave soldier.” (Ironically, the man who made these comments avoided military duty during the actual Vietnam War ).
Donald Trump claimed his experience avoiding STDs in the 80s is “the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam” and that he feels “like a very brave soldier” who should “get the Congressional Medal of Honor.” pic.twitter.com/RFkAUkioXx
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) September 1, 2024
Trump’s colorful rhetoric portrayed women’s private spaces as ‘potential landmines.’ He echoed this opinion in a 1993 interview with Stern, saying that ‘dating is like being in Vietnam’ and that guys who did not serve should not feel bad because courting was a battle in and of itself. He later claimed to feel a ‘little guilty’ for not getting drafted, despite his casual remarks about the risks of dating , owing to bone spurs in his feet.
Lara Trump claims Trump “is truly a man who has sacrificed for his country” (Trump received an exemption from serving in Vietnam because of bone spurs and later described avoiding STDs during that period as his “personal Vietnam”) pic.twitter.com/2CLVsUr8o0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 17, 2024
It’s interesting to note that Trump’s interest in Vietnam went beyond anecdotes. He contributed $1 million to the cause while serving as co-chair of the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission in the middle of the 1980s. Despite his opposition to the war, he openly expressed his support for those who served, admitting that they ‘got a bad shake in life.’ Trump, however, was quick to deny heroes like Senator John McCain their recognition, infamously referring to McCain as ‘not a war hero.’ According to the Daily Beast, Trump justified his position by saying, “I like people that weren’t captured, OK?”
Trump has a complicated personal history with Vietnam. He has frequently discussed the conflict in a way that reflects his perspective on America’s post-Vietnam trajectory, despite avoiding the obligation to serve. According to Politico , he has stated, “We don’t win anymore,” implying that Vietnam signaled the start of the end of American supremacy in the world. For Trump, Vietnam ceased to be merely a historical event; it seemingly began to represent weakness, loss of power, and defeat.
Even with all the contradictions, Trump has kept bringing up Vietnam in his speeches. He talks about his time during the war era or uses it to shape his political message. For Trump, Vietnam seems to hold a mix of personal meaning and symbolic importance. “Vietnam was a disaster,” Trump said in 1999. “It was too far away. It didn’t affect us. I guess if you do it, you have to go to win. We didn’t go to win. But I think Vietnam would have been a good place for us to stay out of.”