Trump plans order to remove trans members of US military: Report

November 25, 2024

Lauren Taylor, Anchor/Reporter

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President-elect Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order removing transgender members from the U.S. military, according to The Times. Defense sources tell the newspaper that the order could be issued on Trump’s first day in office, Jan. 20, and could affect 15,000 active-duty individuals who reportedly identify as transgender.

During his campaign, Trump frequently stated his intention to target “woke” generals in the military. His pick for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said that any general involved in “woke” or diversity, equity, and inclusion policies must be fired.

Hegseth, a veteran with two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has criticized the military for what he says is prioritizing representation over merit.

“Being transgender in the military causes complications and differences,” Hegseth said on “The Shawn Ryan Show.” “And the book kind of lays out the common arguments that those on the left or others make which are baked in social justice. So it started, you know, we saw it under Clinton with the tinkering of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the reasons for those changes. And I talked to some of the people involved in when that was changed. But it really happened, started to accelerate under Obama. And you saw it with, you saw the trans stuff come at the end of the Obama administration.”

During Trump’s first term in office, he implemented a ban barring transgender individuals from joining the military, an order President Joe Biden rescinded.

The new executive order under Trump would medically discharge active transgender military members, The Times reports, deeming them “unfit to serve.”

Critics argue the U.S. military cannot afford to lose members, as it is already struggling to meet recruitment and retention goals.

Hegseth has blamed “wokeism” for the military’s declining recruitment numbers.

The Times spoke with Paulo Batista, a transgender analyst in the U.S. Navy, who said the decision to potentially discharge 15,000 service members would cause major disruption.

“There are junior enlisted personnel to high-end officers. You pull one of us out, that means others have to cover. These jobs could take months or even years to fill,” Batista told the newspaper.

Tags: Donald Trump, Military Defense, Military recruiting, Transgender, U.S. military

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Full story

Hegseth, a veteran with two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has criticized the military for what he says is prioritizing representation over merit.

During Trump’s first term in office, he implemented a ban barring transgender individuals from joining the military, an order President Joe Biden rescinded.

The new executive order under Trump would medically discharge active transgender military members, The Times reports, deeming them “unfit to serve.”

Critics argue the U.S. military cannot afford to lose members, as it is already struggling to meet recruitment and retention goals.

Hegseth has blamed “wokeism” for the military’s declining recruitment numbers.

The Times spoke with Paulo Batista, a transgender analyst in the U.S. Navy, who said the decision to potentially discharge 15,000 service members would cause major disruption.