As US bombed three Iranian soil last week amidst Israel-Iran conflict, a different kind of battle waged online aimed at one unexpected figure: Barron Trump.The 19-year-old son of President Donald J Trump, who just wrapped up his freshman year at NYU, has found himself at the center of a growing social media firestorm where netizens react to Trump’s Iran bombings with the growing demand of enlisting Barron Trump in the US army.
‘If you want war, send your own kid’,
On X, many have echoed a common refrain: if President Trump is prepared to send other people’s children into harm’s way, shouldn’t his own son be first in line?“Trump has us at war. Barron should sign up for the Army now”, reacted one user.Another commented, “POTUS @Trump should order his son Barron to immediately enlist into US Army and be sent to fight Iran. Bravo”“And with the first pick of the 2025 US Draft, the US Army Selects…Barron Trump out of Mar-a-Lago”
A political hot potato in combat boots
There is no legal requirement for the children of US presidents to serve in the military. Barron Trump, by all public accounts, has maintained a low profile since his father returned to office. But the renewed scrutiny stems not solely from Barron Trump’s personal choices, but from a broader debate over political accountability and military service. President Donald Trump, now serving his second term, avoided the Vietnam War draft five times, once citing bone spurs. No member of the Trump family has served in the armed forces. As the administration faces questions about the legality and consequences of the strikes on Iran, online discourse has increasingly invoked what critics label “Chickenhawk Syndrome” — a term referring to political leaders who support military action without having direct personal or familial involvement in combat. Also read | Let Bibi go’: Trump slams Netanyahu trial as ‘witch hunt’; warns of stalled Hamas, Iran talks