Karoline Leavitt did not dismiss the notion that President Donald Trump could reinstate the draft for his war on Iran.
While speaking with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, the White House press secretary said that mandatory conscription for military service was not “off of the table.”
“Mothers out there are worried that we’re going to have a draft, that they’re going to see their sons and daughters get involved in this,” Bartiromo, 58, said. “What do you want to say about the president’s plans for troops on the ground?”
“President Trump wisely does not remove options off of the table—I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly," Leavitt, 28, said. “But the president, as commander-in-chief, wants to continue to assess the success of the military operation.”
“It’s not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table,” she added.
A military draft has not happened in the United States since the Vietnam War, though men aged 18 to 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System.
The agency’s website clarifies its mission as: “To register men and maintain a system that, when authorized by the President and Congress, rapidly provides personnel in a fair and just manner while managing an alternative-service program for conscientious objectors.”
Leavitt’s statements quickly drew criticism on social media, with many taking her words to mean that military conscription was imminent.
“How about the answer is NO DRAFT AND NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND because we campaigned on NO MORE FOREIGN WARS OR REGIME CHANGE!!!” wrote Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Georgia House representative and a GOP rebel. “Liars every single one of them! Not my son, over my dead body!!!!!”
“By the way a bunch of psycho Republicans want to not only draft your sons but your daughters too!!!!!” Greene added in a separate post on her personal X account. “Send Lindsey Graham, Mark Levin, and Laura Loomer and ALL the murderous blood thirsty maniacs that support this America LAST WAR.”
“Translation: they won’t even promise your kids aren’t next,” progressive political activism group Call to Activism wrote on X, in response to a clip of Leavitt’s comments.
“Good,” wrote geopolitical commentator Mats Nilsson. “Watch Karoline Leavitt refusing to rule out a Draft. Once the Congressman’s and Ivy League parent’s children get drafted it’ll be a whole other ballgame.”
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
Since U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran began on Feb. 28, eight American military personnel have died.
U.S. Central Command announced on Sunday that two additional American service members had died since the first six, who were killed in a March 1 drone strike in Kuwait, were identified last week.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the initial strikes along with several top officials. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as his successor, Reuters reported on Sunday.
In a video address on March 1, Trump, 79, said that “there will likely be more” American military personnel who die before the end of the conflict. “That’s the way it is,” he added.
