Trump Faces Backlash Over Reported Plan to Ban Transgender Troops on Day One
Trump during a fund-raiser at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Fla., last year. (Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Donald Trump is facing fierce criticism following a report that he plans to issue an executive order to remove all transgender individuals from the U.S. military on his first day back in office. According to The Times, the president-elect is preparing to reinstate a policy similar to the one he implemented during his first term, which barred transgender people from serving in the armed forces.
“Donald Trump is planning an executive order that would lead to the removal of all transgender members of the US military, defense sources say,” reported The Times. “The order could come on his first day back in the White House, January 20. There are believed to be about 15,000 active service personnel who are transgender. They would be medically discharged, which would determine that they were unfit to serve.”
The report has reignited heated debate, with critics and supporters voicing strong opinions. Trump loyalists in the MAGA camp have praised the move, but many others have condemned the plan as discriminatory and harmful.
Nathan Kalman-Lamb, an assistant professor of sociology and author of Game Misconduct: Injury, Fandom, and the Business of Sport, called out trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) for their role in fostering an environment that could enable such policies.
“Congratulations, [TERFs],” Kalman-Lamb wrote. “Your relentless campaign of dehumanization has found the benefactor you longed for.” He further warned that “ending civil rights for some populations is not just a problem for liberals.”
Others pointed out the practical consequences of removing transgender troops. Polling USA highlighted how the policy could worsen existing issues with military recruitment, sarcastically commenting, “Sir, I have an idea how to make the existing military recruitment problem even worse.”
Former GOP activist and Iraq War veteran Dave Thul also weighed in, pointing out the hypocrisy of some Trump supporters. “Just to be clear—the same people that screamed against Biden for discharging troops for not getting Covid shots will now cheer Trump for discharging transgender troops,” Thul wrote. “Either the Commander in Chief has the authority or he does not.”
The reported plan has sparked widespread controversy, raising concerns about the impact on civil rights, military readiness, and the morale of service members. As Trump prepares to assume office again, the policy is shaping up to be a lightning rod for debate over the intersection of military policy and LGBTQ+ rights.
