Fact Check: Will Barron Trump be exempt from US military draft because of inherited bone spurs?

WASHINGTON, DC: As the world teeters on the brink of war — especially with the US striking Iran's nuclear facilities — a bizarre claim about first son Barron Trump has been making the rounds on social media.

Rumor has it that President Donald Trump’s 19-year-old son might dodge a future US military draft because of inherited bone spurs.

According to some viral posts, the NYU student has somehow scored a genetic exemption thanks to his father’s infamous Vietnam War deferment.

Does Barron Trump actually have bone spurs?

Despite the rumors online, there is no record that Barron Trump has ever had bone spurs — bony overgrowths that usually develop from joint damage or aging. So, the whole idea that he’s “inherited” a condition from his father to avoid a draft is completely false.

The rumors picked up steam after Trump announced on Saturday that the US had launched “successful” airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. Naturally, people started wondering if this meant war - and soon the “Barron-won’t-be-drafted” claims began.

Multiple social media users drew parallels to 1968, when Trump as reportedly granted a deferment from the Vietnam War for bone spurs. Specifically, in his heels.

He later brushed it off as “temporary” and minor, referencing a doctor’s note, but actual medical records were nowhere to be found. For years, allegations have swirled that the deferment may have been a favor supposedly granted by a podiatrist renting office space from Trump's father, Fred Trump, according to Snopes.

However, none of it holds water in Barron’s case.

For those curious, a bone spur — or “osteophyte” — is a bony growth that pops up along the edges of bones, usually where bones meet in joints like knees, hips, spine, or heels. They’re typically smooth, not spiky, and often come from wear-and-tear, arthritis, or repetitive stress.

While bone spurs are definitely real, they don’t exactly run in families like eye color or dimples. So, the idea that Barron inherited this specific ailment as a loophole is a stretch, to say the least.

Viral rumors around Barron Trump flood the Internet

This isn’t the first time Barron has been at the center of some social media fiction. Over the past year, a slew of baseless rumors about the teen have made the rounds.

Take his college admissions, for example. After President Trump took a swipe at elite universities by slashing funding and ramping up political pressure earlier this year, some online started claiming that Barron had been rejected from top-tier schools like Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford.

But once again, there was no actual evidence backing that up. Barron is currently enrolled at NYU.

Even the Office of the First Lady had to step in to squash the claim. "Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false," said Nick Clemens, spokesperson for the Office of the First Lady.

In another rumor, people claimed that Barron had married Princess Leonor of Spain.

Videos with titles like “Barron Trump & Princess Leonor’s Grand Royal Wedding at a Magnificent Palace” started racking up views — nearly 200,000 on one clip alone. The videos showed an elaborate, regal ceremony and tons of AI-polished glamour shots.

The problem is, none of it was real. There has been zero confirmation from the Spanish royal family or the Trumps.

It's worth noting that if Leonor — born in 2005 and next in line to the Spanish throne — actually got married, it would dominate the news cycle. Plus, the videos were clearly labeled as AI-generated, with tell-tale signs like distorted facial features, off-putting lighting, and uncanny skin textures.

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