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Part of the reason the story spread so widely lies in the deeper emotions that surround discussions of military service. Questions about who serves in the armed forces and who avoids it have long stirred strong feelings in American society. For many people, the idea that powerful families might be protected from the consequences of war while ordinary citizens shoulder the burden creates a sense of resentment and injustice. In this atmosphere, Barron Trump—still a teenager who has never publicly spoken about military service or political matters—became an easy symbol onto which people projected their anger and frustration.
