Does Barron Trump Have Bone Spurs? The Viral Health Rumors, Explained

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President Donald Trump's white lies are catching up to his youngest son, Barron Trump. There are several rumors about his life that Barron will never outrun, and a new one got added to the list in 2025, when a satirical account on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted what at first glance appeared to be a screenshot from Fox News proclaiming that the first son has a condition known as bone spurs. A closer look revealed it was a joke. Of course, those prone to accepting things they see on the internet at face value needed no convincing that it was true. This is, in part, because a doctor infamously diagnosed Donald with bone spurs several decades ago when he was about to be drafted for the Vietnam War. 

The condition causes growths on the bones, usually the heels or spine, and can lead to pain and joint issues. The physician in question, Dr. Larry Braunstein, may no longer be alive, but his daughters told the New York Times in December 2018 that their father's diagnosis wasn't based on medical evidence. "I know it was a favor," Elysa Braunstein confirmed, further clarifying that providing the future president with an out put her father in Fred Trump's good graces, which was obviously the whole point. 

The doctor leased a building from the senior Trump, who was a real estate magnate, and keeping Donald away from the war meant he got to call in some favors. "What he got was access to Fred Trump. If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately," Elysa alleged. Naturally, there's no paper trail to confirm these claims, but given all the drama surrounding Trump's medical records, it's understandable that many found the allegations believable.

Notably, Barron Trump supposedly getting diagnosed with bone spurs by what turned out to be random people on the internet wasn't his first brush with health rumors. There are a myriad of false things everyone believes about Barron, and one of the stories that just won't die is that the first son has autism. The rumor first made the rounds in 2016 during Donald Trump's initial presidential bid, thanks to TV personality Rosie O'Donnell, who took to X to post, in a since-deleted tweet, "Barron Trump Autistic? If so — what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic," per CBS News.

Netizens did not take kindly to the unfounded allegation, especially given that Barron was only 10 years old at the time and definitely off-limits as far as social media scuttlebutt was concerned. His mother, Melania Trump, even addressed the rumor in her 2025 memoir, "Melania," and she didn't mince her words. "I was appalled by such cruelty," the first lady admitted. "It was clear to me that she [O'Donnell] was not interested in raising awareness about autism. I felt that she was attacking my son because she didn't like my husband." Melania also confirmed that Barron does not, in fact, have autism.

Another health rumor the college student weathered had to do with his stunning height, which led to speculation he might have Marfan syndrome. "He's not just super tall, but his physique is strange," one Reddit user opined. This genetic condition is often characterized by long limbs that seem almost out of proportion for the person's body, along with a face that appears narrow and long. There is, of course, no evidence that Barron has it.