Daughters of foot doctor say Trump's bone spurs diagnosis given as a favor
by Kimberly Leonard
| December 26, 2018 10:16 AM
A New York City podiatrist may be responsible for helping President Trump eschew military service during the Vietnam War.
The daughters of the now-deceased podiatrist, Dr. Larry Braunstein, told the New York Times that their father often recounted the story about how he had given Trump a diagnosis of bone spurs in the heels. The implication, they said, was that the diagnosis was provided as a favor to his father, Fred Trump, who owned the building where his practice was located.
Trump received the diagnosis in 1968, which disqualified him from serving in the military. Prior to that he had also received several educational deferments.
The daughters, Dr. Elysa Braunstein, 56, and Sharon Kessel, 53, confirmed the story, saying that in exchange Fred Trump would swiftly handle any issues in the building.
The daughters, both Democrats, said they are not fans of President Trump.
They also said a second podiatrist, Dr. Manny Weinstein, may have been involved. Weinstein died in 1995, and had lived in two different apartments owned by Fred Trump.
Bone spurs are calcium growths in the heel that can become painful and spread to the legs if untreated. A patient who has them typically undergoes physical therapy and applies warm or cold compresses to the heel.
The New York Times did not find documentation to help verify the series of events, and President Trump has said in the past that he does not recall which doctor diagnosed bone spurs. The Trumps sold the building where the podiatry practice was in 2004, and Braunstein died in 2007.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/daughters-of-foot-doctor-say-trumps-bone-spurs-diagnosis-given-as-a-favor
