Donald Trump on the media, then and now</s>President Trump on Wednesday said he would ban transgender people from any military service.

Trump made the announcement, which would represent a major shift in military policy, on Twitter. He said he had made the decision after consulting with "my generals and military experts."

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," Trump tweeted.

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"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you"

After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017

Trump made the surprise announcement with Defense Secretary James Mattis on vacation, stoking speculation about the Pentagon’s level of involvement in Trump’s decision.

It wasn't immediately clear what Trump's announcement would mean for the approximately 250 transgender people now serving openly in the U.S. military.

A Pentagon spokesman referred all questions about Trump’s statements to the White House.

“We will continue to work closely with the White House to address the new guidance provided by the Commander-in-Chief on transgender individuals serving the military,” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said. “We will provide revised guidance to the Department in the near future.”

A staffer for the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday on background it was surprised by Trump’s announcement and is waiting for more information.

The committee declined to provide a statement from Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas).

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), whose son is transgender, immediately slammed the decision.

"No American, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be prohibited from honor + privilege of serving our nation #LGBT," she tweeted.

But conservatives who have been pushing for the ban to be reinstated applauded Trump’s announcement.

“President Trump’s decision today to rescind Obama’s transgender military policy has the best interests of the military in mind, and I thank him for taking this decisive action,” Rep. Vicky Jo Hartzler (R-Mo.) sid in a statement.

Trump's decision is a gesture to the conservative base at a time when he's facing declining poll numbers and increasing pressure over the Russia investigation.

White House officials did not immediately respond to a request to explain the president's decision-making process.

During the 2016 presidential race, Trump called himself a "real friend" of the LGBT community in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting and accused Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonWarren endorses Texas Democrat Cuellar's primary challenger Ten notable Democrats who do not favor impeachment Krystal Ball: Warren's Hillary connections revealed?; Saagar Enjeti: End the wars MORE of prioritizing "immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists" into the U.S.

“Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs,” he tweeted in June. Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2016 He also criticized North Carolina's controversial "bathroom law," saying in an April 2016 interview that the state was "paying a big price" for the policy and that transgender individuals should use whatever bathroom they want. But Trump also blasted “political correctness” when asked during an October town hall about “social engineering” in the military. The questioner, a veteran, included open service by transgender troops among his concerns. "We're going to get away from political correctness," Trump told the questioner. "Some of things that they're asking you to do and be politically correct about are ridiculous." The Obama administration lifted the ban on allowing transgender troops to serve openly last year.

Under the policy set by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter, transgender troops also receive coverage for any treatment deemed medically necessary by their doctors, including surgery and hormone therapy.

That step left a decision for Mattis to make on whether to allow new transgender troops to enter the military.

Trump’s decision is a huge blow the LGBT community, which was just coming off a win after the surprising defeat of an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would have banned Pentagon funding from being used for transition-related medical care.

But under the policy Carter crafted, transgender recruits weren’t allowed to enlist pending the end of a one-year implementation period.



That was supposed to end July 1. But the night before the change was to go into effect, Mattis issued a six-month delay in the policy to study the issue more.



In a memo explaining the delay, Mattis insisted that his decision does not “change policies and procedures currently in effect.”



Mattis also promised during his confirmation hearing that he wouldn’t reverse his predecessor’s decisions unless a service chief brings him hard evidence the policy is having a negative effect.



LGBT advocates were worried immediately after the election that Trump would roll back the transgender policy, which he has the power to do unilaterally since it is not a law.



They breathed a sigh of relief after Mattis’s confirmation hearing but have since been fighting on issues such as the enlistment policy and medical care.



Earlier this month, the House voted 209-214 against banning Pentagon funding from being used for transition-related care. Twenty-four Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat the amendment to the annual defense policy bill.



Mattis opposed the amendment, confirming he called Hartzler, its sponsor, at least once on the issue.



But some Republicans hoped to have a second chance, filing several similar amendments to the spending bill coming to the House floor Wednesday.

The Rules Committee on Tuesday night decided on some of the amendments that will get a vote on the House floor. None of the transgender-related amendments made it in, but there will be a second chance on Wednesday.

Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) filed an amendment Wednesday to the appropriations bill that would ban Pentagon funding from being used to implement Trump’s directive.

“I can’t think of anything more backwards than turning away a brave, qualified American who wants to serve in our all-volunteer military because of their gender identity,” Peters said in a statement. “Just as we did with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Congress must stand up against backwards politics, trust our military leaders, and put national security first.”

--This report was last updated at 12:33 p.m.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will bar transgender individuals from serving "in any capacity" in the U.S. armed forces.

 

 Trump said on Twitter Wednesday that after consulting with "Generals and military experts," that the government "will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military."

 

 Trump added that "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail."

 

 Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban.

 

 Military chiefs recently announced a delay on allowing transgender people from enlisting. But transgender troops are already serving openly in the military.</s>WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump abruptly declared a ban Wednesday on transgender troops serving anywhere in the U.S. military, catching the Pentagon flat-footed and unable to explain what it called Trump’s “guidance.” His proclamation, on Twitter rather than any formal announcement, drew bipartisan denunciations and threw currently serving transgender soldiers into limbo. “Please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” the commander in chief tweeted.

Trump wrote that he had consulted with “my generals and military experts,” but he did not mention Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, the retired Marine general who less than one month ago told the military service chiefs to spend another six months weighing the costs and benefits of allowing transgender individuals to enlist. At the time, Mattis said this “does not presuppose the outcome of the review,” but Trump’s tweets appeared to have done just that.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump The Pentagon has refused to release any data on the number of transgender people currently serving. A Rand Corp. study has estimated the number at between 1,320 and 6,630 out of 1.3 million active-duty troops. Criticism for Trump’s action was immediate and strong from both political parties. His action is “harmful, misguided and weakens, not strengthens our military,” said Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Read more: Trump says ‘medical costs’ are the main reason to ban transgender troops. The military spends five times more on Viagra

“Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving,” he said. “There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train and deploy to leave the military — regardless of their gender identity.” Not everyone at the Capitol agreed. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said, “The president’s decision was the absolute right decision. ... It’s about time that a decision is made to restore the warrior culture and allow the U.S. military to get back to business.” Transgender people already in uniform were concerned about what comes next. “Everybody is hurt, everybody is scared,” said Rudy Akbarian, 26, who is in the military but did not want to identify his branch. Akbarian, who said his chain of command was supportive as he transitioned from female to male, said his time to re-enlist is coming up and he might stay to ensure there is a strong voice for transgender troops like himself. “I’m going to remain hopeful,” he said. “America is really progressive and definitely smart, and there are a lot of transgender members serving in critical roles.”

Shane Ortega, a 30-year-old retired staff sergeant in Los Angeles, said he’s concerned more for civilians than transgender troops. Ortega, who transitioned to male while serving in the Army and served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, “When Donald Trump attacks what America calls its heroes or its warrior class, it means it’s only a matter of time before he starts attacking and disassembling the American public, and that’s what I have the most fear of.” Hours after Trump’s tweets, Mattis, who has been on vacation this week, was publicly silent and the Pentagon referred all questions to the White House. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Pentagon was working with the White House to “address the new guidance” from Trump. That suggested there is not yet any new written policy or executive order. The 17 most jaw-dropping moments of Donald Trump’s speech to Boy Scouts Trump drags scouts down to his level: Keenan ‘I think he’s crazy’: U.S. senators caught on hot mic say they’re ‘worried’ about Trump Trump’s sudden declaration appears to halt a decades-long trend toward more inclusive policies on military service, including the repeal in 2010 of a ban on gays serving openly. President Bill Clinton in 1993 began the push to allow gays to serve. In December 2015, President Barack Obama’s Pentagon chief, Ash Carter, announced that all military positions would be open to women. Liberalizing policy on transgender troops was the next step. Just last week, when asked about the transgender issue at a Senate hearing, Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “I am an advocate of every qualified person who can meet the physical standards to serve in our uniformed services to be able to do so.” He mentioned no opposition among service chiefs to allowing transgender service. Transgender service members have been able to serve openly since 2016, when Carter ended the ban. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops could receive medical care and start changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon’s personnel system. Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to join the military if they normal standards and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. On June 30, Mattis extended the July 1 deadline to next Jan. 1, saying the services should study the impact on the “readiness and lethality of our forces.” That is the prism through which Mattis has viewed most, if not all, personnel issues. Just last week he ordered a high-level Pentagon review aimed at verifying that all military personnel policies “support and enhance war-fighting readiness and force lethality.” In a series of tweets, Trump said allowing transgender troops to serve is an unacceptable burden on the military’s ability to fight and win wars. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” he wrote. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for an estimate of these costs. The Rand Corp., a federally funded think-tank, has estimated that each year between 29 and 129 service members will seek transition-related care that could disrupt their ability to deploy. It also estimated that extending gender transition-related health care coverage to transgender personnel would cost the military $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year, out of a yearly Pentagon budget of more than $600 billion. During his election campaign, Trump occasionally presented himself as a potential ally of gays and lesbians, promising to be a “real friend” of their community. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had made “a military decision.” She said it was his judgment that allowing transgender service “erodes military readiness and unit cohesion.” Sanders said the “president’s national security team was part of this consultation” and that Trump “informed” Mattis of his decision immediately after he made it on Tuesday. Carter, who served as defence secretary the last two years of Obama’s presidency, issued a statement criticizing Trump’s move. “I continue to maintain that what matters in choosing those who serve is that they are best qualified,” Carter wrote. “To choose service members on other grounds than military qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military.” Trump’s tweets followed a fight in Congress over federal funding of gender transition surgeries. Earlier this month, the Republican-led House rejected a proposal to end the Obama-era practice of requiring the Pentagon to pay such costs.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) - WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is barring transgender people from serving in the military “in any capacity,” citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption.”

Trump’s announcement Wednesday morning on Twitter did not say what would happen to transgender people already in the military.

The president tweeted that after consulting with “Generals and military experts,” the government “will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”

“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” he added.

Already, there are as many as 250 service members in the process of transitioning to their preferred genders or who have been approved to formally change gender within the Pentagon’s personnel system, according to several defense officials.

Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon’s personnel system.

But Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military, if they meet physical, medical and other standards, and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. Military chiefs recently announced a delay on allowing transgender people from enlisting.

Key concerns include whether currently enlisted troops have had medical or other issues that cause delays or problems with their ability to deploy or meet physical or other standards for their jobs. Military leaders also want to review how transgender troops are treated, if they’re discriminated against or if they have had disciplinary problems, the officials said. They were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.</s>U.S. President Donald Trump participates in the commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. July 22, 2017.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would not allow transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military in any capacity.

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," Trump wrote in a series of Twitter posts.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail," the Republican president wrote.

The Pentagon ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the U.S. military in 2016 under Democratic President Barack Obama's administration. It was expected to start allowing transgender people to begin enlisting this year, provided they had been "stable" in their preferred gender for 18 months.

Last month, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved a six-month delay in allowing transgender recruits to join the U.S. armed forces.

Last year, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter cited a study by the RAND Corporation think tank saying there were about 2,500 transgender active-duty service members and 1,500 reserve transgender service members.</s>In his latest policy declaration to be made via tweet, President Trump announced this morning that transgender people will not be allowed “to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military”, citing a burden of “the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

His entire series of tweets is below:

Trump’s announcement reverse’s the Obama administration decision that would have allowed transgender people to serve. The Trump administration had put that policy on hold.

Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin reacted quickly to Trump’s announcement, calling it “shameful”. “I know transgender service members and vets who have done more to serve their country than @realdonaldtrump has in his entire life,” Griffin wrote on Twitter.</s>President Donald Trump announced via Twitter July 26 that transgender people will not be allowed to serve in the United States military.

In a string of tweets, Trump stated that he consulted with generals and military experts and that “our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

This is a breaking story and we will continue to update it.</s>It was a series of tweets that took many by surprise as President Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will no longer accept transgender people in the military.

The president made the decision after President Obama said in 2016 that transgender people could serve. He even opened all combat roles to women.

A Naples woman reveals she spent her military career pretending to be a man.

John McGinnes spent 24 years in the Air Force after retiring in 1993. He underwent surgery to become a woman and is now known as Susan.

She said transgender people can and should serve, calling President Trump's decision a setback to all.

“I kept it a secret for 24 years in the military,” McGinnes said.

The secret, John McGinnes believed he should have been a woman and he never told anyone.

“At times, it was hard having to sneak off the base."

“Even though I was John through the whole process, I also knew I was Susan, and together we earned this."

“I went through 'Don't ask, don't tell,' but that was mostly aimed at gay and lesbian people, not transgender people."

So she was pleased when President Obama allowed transgender people to openly serve. But she was shocked when she saw President Trump's tweets banning transgenders from the military.

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," Trump said in a series of tweets Wednesday morning. "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail."

McGinnes said she cried when she read the tweets on Twitter, but not every veteran had that reaction.

“I agree with the president 100 percent. They should not be allowed,” said Domenick Piscipo.

“I don't think it would be actively good to serve in the military as a transgender,” said Noel Soto.

Younger veterans we spoke with tended to disagree, saying they'd have no problem with the gender.

Susan issued a warning saying don't be fooled by the wig and makeup.

“Give the person a chance to prove, 'Yes I can do this, and I can do it proudly.'”

No reason for the president's timing on this topic has been given. The announcement came after a debate over the Pentagon being required to pay for the transgender surgery.

Susan said her surgery cost her $8,000 out of pocket with insurance covering the rest.</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is barring transgender people from serving in the military "in any capacity," citing "tremendous medical costs and disruption."

Trump's announcement Wednesday morning on Twitter did not say what would happen to transgender people already in the military.

The president tweeted that after consulting with "Generals and military experts," the government "will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military."

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail," he added.

At the Pentagon, members of the staff of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis appeared to have been caught unaware by Trump's tweets.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, declined to answer questions about what Trump's tweets mean for the current policy, including whether transgender people already serving in the military will be kicked out.

"Call the White House," he said.

The White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's decision drew immediate angry responses from groups that represent transgender service members.

Matt Thorn, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, which represents the LGBT population in the military, said thousands have been serving in the U.S. armed forces without causing any issues.

"It's an absolute absurdity and another overstep," Thorn said. He threatened legal action if Wednesday's decision is not reversed.

Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, director of the Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, said Trump "has stood against the trans community with this decision and is harming lives for the sake of political gains."

"The military is often the last resort for people who can't find jobs because of discrimination," Rodriguez-Roldan said. She said the transgender community "will not stop fighting" for justice.

Already, there are as many as 250 service members in the process of transitioning to their preferred genders or who have been approved to formally change gender within the Pentagon's personnel system, according to several defense officials.

The Pentagon has refused to release any data on the number of transgender troops currently serving. A Rand Corp. study estimated that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members on active duty and an additional 1,500 to 4,000 in the reserves.

Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.

Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military. Mattis announced earlier this month that he was giving military chiefs another six months to conduct a review to determine if allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the armed services would affect the "readiness or lethality" of the force.

Key concerns include whether currently enlisted troops have had medical or other issues that cause delays or problems with their ability to deploy or meet physical or other standards for their jobs. Military leaders also wanted to review how transgender troops are treated, if they're discriminated against or if they have had disciplinary problems, defense officials have said.

They were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that transgender Americans will not be allowed to serve "in any capacity" in the United States Armed Forces.