In a resurfaced comment from the 1990s, former U.S. President Donald Trump once compared avoiding sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during his dating life in the 1980s to his “personal Vietnam.” This remark, made during a 1997 appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” has gained renewed attention on social media as the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches.
On August 8, 2024, a post on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted the comment, featuring a 25-second clip from Trump’s interview with Howard Stern. In the clip, Trump, then a prominent New York real estate mogul, discussed his sexual escapades with Stern, who humorously likened avoiding STDs in the 1980s to surviving the Vietnam War. Trump echoed this comparison, leading to his remark about STDs being his “personal Vietnam.”
The post, viewed over 662,000 times, accurately attributes this statement to Trump, and a longer version of the clip has since been shared on YouTube. In the video, Trump is seen in the studio with Stern and co-host Robin Quivers, where they joke about maintaining their sexual health during that era.
Trump, who is now 78, is running for the presidency again in the November 2024 election. Although he was of draft age during the Vietnam War, Trump did not serve in the military. He received four student draft deferments while in college and was later medically disqualified due to bone spurs in both heels, according to Selective Service records obtained by The Smoking Gun in 2011.
This resurfaced comment has sparked discussions, particularly given Trump’s history with controversial remarks and his previous appearances on Stern’s show, where he also admitted to entering beauty pageant contestants’ changing rooms.
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
