Mary Trump is well known for her criticism of her uncle, Donald Trump, and she has in the past trolled him for escaping the draft for the Vietnam War. Now, the US is set to roll out automatic military draft registration for men from 18 to 25. This move marks the most significant overhaul of the system in more than 50 years.
The Selective Service System (SSS) submitted new rules to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs last week. Under these rules, eligible young men from all 50 states are to be enrolled into the draft database.
On learning of the new military draft, Mary headed to her X (formerly Twitter) account and sent out a message, writing, “Draft-dodging presidents should not have the power to impose the draft.”
Draft-dodging presidents should not have the power to impose the draft.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) April 10, 2026
When the US was drafting people to fight in the Vietnam War, Mary’s uncle famously escaped the draft due to having “bone spurs.”
Meanwhile, Mary has already questioned her uncle’s motives behind the Iran war and said the joint military operation with Israel had little to do with aiding the Iranian people and regime change. She said the decision to start the military action was driven by undisclosed personal motives.
“This war is going to cost untold lives and untold billions of dollars,” she said in a YouTube video. “And it’s going to cost us something else as well: whatever is left of our reputation,” while it would tarnish the United States’ standing globally.
As the Iran war rages on, Mary said Donald Trump started the war because he is in trouble. “This isn’t simply about changing the subject. That, of course, would be bad enough,” she said, and then referred to the scandal relating to the Epstein Files, adding, “This is to keep himself and the world from knowing what an inept, depraved, compromised fraud he is.”
According to Yahoo News, the new draft reform follows provisions in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed by Congress in December. The act removed the requirement for individuals to manually register. A new automated system will be put in place to identify and enroll those individuals who qualify for the draft.
— Positive Posts & Quotes (@JScottScheffer1) April 10, 2026
According to officials, the new move will simplify a process that previously relied on public awareness campaigns and voluntary compliance. Individuals will be required by federal law to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, and failure to do so will constitute a felony offence.
The change had previously been supported by Democratic Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who stated it would allow resources to be redirected from outreach efforts towards military readiness and mobilization.
Coming at a time of heightened global tensions, officials did emphasize that registration doesn’t lead to immediate conscription. Reportedly, the draft would only be put in place if authorized by the president and Congress.
Reportedly, the new draft would follow a lottery system, starting with 20-year-old individuals before progressing through age groups up to 25. Only after these were insufficient would 18 and 19-year-olds be considered for the draft.
Meanwhile, penalties for refusing the draft remain severe, including fines of up to $250,000 or prison sentences of up to five years.
The latest overhaul represents the most substantial change to the draft since the end of conscription for the Vietnam War, a draft President Donald Trump avoided due to his “bone spurs.”
