Following President Donald Trump’s unauthorized military strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment site, a growing public backlash has taken a deeply personal turn. Critics are now calling on Trump’s 19-year-old son, Barron Trump, to enlist in the U.S. military, sparking a firestorm of online debate.
The controversy erupted after Trump ordered B-2 stealth bombers to target Iran’s key uranium facility, bypassing congressional approval and escalating tensions in the region. In the immediate aftermath, social media users began pointing to the contrast between the Trump family’s history of military avoidance and their support for aggressive foreign policy.
“If Trump decides the USA should get involved in a ground war in Iran, I assume Barron will be enlisting since the Trump family has so much love and support for our troops? Be a patriot!” wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter. The sentiment has quickly gained traction, reviving scrutiny of Donald Trump’s Vietnam War-era draft deferments.
As reported by the Irish Star, Trump received five deferments — four for educational reasons and one for a supposed bone spur diagnosis. Further controversy surrounds the legitimacy of Trump’s medical exemption. During his 2019 congressional testimony, Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, alleged the bone spur excuse was fabricated.
“He told me not to answer the specific questions by reporters but rather offer simply the fact that he received a medical deferment,” Cohen told lawmakers. When asked about supporting documents or medical records, Cohen said Trump provided none. According to Cohen, Trump once remarked, “You think I’m stupid? I wasn’t going to Vietnam.”
These revelations have resurfaced in light of Trump’s latest military actions, reinforcing criticism that the president is willing to authorize conflict abroad without facing—or requiring his family to face—the personal consequences of war. Now, with Barron Trump of military age, critics are turning their focus toward him.
Though the teen has not made any public statements regarding the military or politics, the calls for his enlistment are seen by some as a symbolic challenge to the president’s history. Others, however, argue the attacks on Barron are inappropriate, suggesting that military service should not be politicized or used as a rhetorical weapon against political figures.
As tensions with Iran simmer and the political fallout from the strike continues, the renewed debate around military service, privilege, and patriotism is putting the Trump family—and especially Barron—under the national spotlight.