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Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura issued a shocking challenge to President Donald Trump’s youngest son on Tuesday. Ventura, a Navy veteran and former wrestling star, again labeled Trump a “draft-dodging coward” during his appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” He then suggested that 20-year-old Barron Trump enlist in the military since Trump avoided the draft during the Vietnam War.
He suggested that the U.S. war in Iran is not justified because none of Trump’s family is in the military.
“A war is justified if you’re willing to send your kids, because how can you send somebody else’s kids to a war if you won’t send your own? So I’m calling right now for Barron Trump,” Ventura said on Tuesday.
He noted that none of Trump’s five children has served in the U.S. military, highlighting that no prominent member of the president’s family has served the country in the last 100 years.
“Barron, you can change that. Enlist in the United States military right now. Do something your father didn’t have the courage to do. Do something your father didn’t have the patriotism to do. I want to see a Trump in the military,” Ventura said.
“Everybody in my family has served. So I think I can say that with all due confidence, come on Trumps. Don’t just reap the benefits of this free world. Somebody put on the uniform, and that’s you, Barron,” he added.
He also dismissed concerns that Barron’s height would disqualify him from military service. Barron towers over Trump, who is 6 feet, 3 inches tall. He noted that NBA player David Robinson, who stands seven feet tall, served in the U.S. Navy before joining the San Antonio Spurs.
Ventura, an independent, has reentered the political landscape in the U.S. after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown in Minneapolis. He repeatedly referred to ICE agents as the “Gestapo” during his Tuesday appearance on Piers Morgan’s show.
“I tried to retire, but unfortunately, they sent the Gestapo to my high school, and they hit it with chemical weapons, which are a war crime, and that brought me back out of retirement to stand up against the war criminal in the White House,” Ventura said.
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Lauren Sforza | NJ.com; nj.com; (TNS) | ©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
