Republican frontrunner Donald Trump told an interviewer that he “always felt that I was in the military” because he attended an elite, military-style boarding school as a teenager. Trump also claimed to have more military training than “a lot of the guys” who have actually spent time in the armed forces.
Trump made the controversial comments to biographer Michael D’Antonio, author of upcoming Trump biography “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success.” Excerpts of the book were published in the New York Times yesterday.
This is not the first time Trump has said something controversial about the military. Several months ago, he was criticized for saying that Senator John McCain is “not a war hero … he’s a war hero because he was captured.”
Despite his habit of making inflammatory comments – or maybe because of it – Trump has opened a commanding lead over rest of the Republican field. But a number of Republicans are worried as to whether he has the true leadership qualities to triumph in the general election.
Last week, Trump was criticized following a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt during which he failed to answer a number of questions about foreign policy. Republican candidate Carly Fiorina criticized Trump’s performance, saying, “I think it is very difficult to lead if you don’t have the requisite knowledge.”
Trump also told MSNBC last week that he would work with Barack Obama and John Kerry’s deal with Iran, a position many conservatives find repugnant.
