Calls for Barron Trump, the youngest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, to enlist in the military are spreading among American internet users.
According to USA Today and other outlets on the 4th (local time), the hashtag "#SendBarron" rapidly spread on social media after U.S. military casualties occurred following the start of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran on the 28th of last month.
Posts accompanying the hashtag included messages such as "Send your son to war to show the Trump family's patriotism" and "Show him fighting alongside young Americans." Some users shared edited images of Barron in military uniform or with a shaved head. The hashtag trended in real-time on X (formerly Twitter) in the United States on the 1st.
These demands are also being linked to President Trump's own military service history. He received multiple draft deferments during the Vietnam War, citing academic and health reasons. Online commentators are raising this point, arguing that "responsibility should start with the family."
Barron Trump currently resides in the White House and is reportedly enrolled at New York University's Washington D.C. campus. He has never publicly expressed any intention to serve in the military and is known to rarely engage in public activities.
Meanwhile, U.S. forces have been conducting strikes against Iran under the operation name "Epic Fury" since the 28th of last month. According to U.S. Central Command, as of the previous day, six U.S. service members had been killed and 18 seriously wounded during the operation.
Iranian casualties are also mounting. Iran's Martyrs and Veterans Foundation announced on the 4th that at least 1,045 people had died in the country due to the war with the United States and Israel. The foundation said the figure represents bodies that have been identified and prepared for burial.
As casualties rise on both the U.S. and Iranian sides, concerns over a prolonged conflict are growing. Political debates over war responsibility and leadership are also intensifying within the United States.
