President Donald Trump is turbocharging his attack on government diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs by now banning the practice from the military.
Trump plans to sign two executive orders this week that will both eliminate DEI from the military and prohibit transgender people from the services, DailyMail.com confirmed.
He already signed an executive order on his first day in office last week reversing Joe Biden’s 2021 directive allowing transgender people to serve in the military.
A new order will go even further and lay out new military standards regarding pronoun usage and gender identity.
It also directly bans transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.
Trump has already taken several actions seeking to outlaw DEI initiatives in the federal government.
The practices require that certain protected groups – like minorities, women and those with disabilities – be prioritized for job placement.
Republicans say they want a return to ‘common sense’ that prioritizes ‘merit-based hiring.’
Trump also is planning to sign an executive order that will reinstate service members who were discharged for refusing Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He will also issue them back pay and restore their previous rank.
President Donald Trump is ordering the Pentagon put an end to DEI military initiatives and ban transgender troops form serving in the armed forces. Pictured: Trump takes part in the review of troops during his inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, January 20, 2025
A fact sheet on the incoming executive order banning transgender troops says they threaten ‘unit cohesion’ and ‘stability among service members’ and slams the long recovery time for those who receive transition surgery or start on hormone replacement treatments
The latest orders are directives for the Pentagon to take action, meaning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will need to act to create a directive for the branches to enact.
Hegseth is now starting his first day on the job as Defense Secretary.
He spoke with reporters outside the Pentagon Monday morning, saying there will be a major ‘shift’ in how the DoD operates from here forward.
It’s not clear when and if current trans service members will be discharged.
While there are no clear statistics on how many members of the U.S. Military are transgender, a 2018 report from the Palm Center estimates there are approximately 14,700 troops who identified as trans.
A fact sheet on the order says there can be no ‘accommodations’ made for ‘anything less than resilience, strength, and the ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands.’
‘Individuals who are unable to meet these requirements are unable to serve in the military,’ the document notes. ‘This has been the case for decades.’
Pete Hegseth spoke with reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon on Monday, January 27, 2025 for his first day on the job and Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary
In specific regards to the issue of trans troops, the fact sheet notes how physically taxing the treatments are and how it can affect military readiness.
‘It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics,’ it reads. ‘During this period, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care.’
‘This is not conducive for deployment or other readiness requirements.’
It says that transgender members threaten ‘unit cohesion’ and ‘stability among service members.’
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Donald Trump to ban transgender troops and DEI military programs in latest executive order flurry
