Overview
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the president keeps “options on the table,” while adding a draft or ground troops are not part of the current plan.
- Fact‑checkers noted her phrasing was ambiguous and reported no evidence that a draft has been authorized or is imminent.
- Reinstating conscription would require Congress to pass legislation under the Military Selective Service Act before the president could activate the system.
- Public reaction intensified online and in protests, with Marjorie Taylor Greene posting a viral denunciation that demanded no draft and no boots on the ground.
- The debate is unfolding as the U.S.–Israel operation continues and officials confirmed a seventh U.S. service member death, with Pete Hegseth declining to outline operational limits and reports of Trump privately weighing ground troops remaining unconfirmed.