The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the Selective Service System saying Mr Trump's lottery number would have been irrelevant because of his medical exemption.

“If you didn’t have a basis to be exempt or postponed, you would have been ordered for induction,” Richard Flahavan said.

According to the newspaper, Mr Trump's 1-Y classification, which was considered a temporary exemption, in practice would have only resulted in him being considered for service in case of national emergency or an official declaration of war, which the United States avoided during the fighting in Vietnam.

The American newspaper also said Mr Trump could not recall exactly when he was no longer bothered by the spurs, protrusions caused by calcium built up on the heel bone, but that he had not had an operation for the problem.

“Over a period of time, it healed up,” the newspaper quoted him saying. It also pointed out that Mr Trump played squash, football and tennis during high school and picked up golf while at Wharton.