"Trump Spokesperson Dismisses Report Alleging Plan to Remove All Transgender Troops from Military"

 The Trump transition team has refuted a
report from a British newspaper suggesting that President-elect Donald Trump intends to issue an executive order to remove all transgender troops from the military and bar transgender individuals from enlisting.

The Times, citing unnamed “defense sources,” claimed that Trump might issue the order on his first day back in the White House. This reported order would be more restrictive than the policy during Trump’s previous term, when transgender individuals could serve but only as their biological sex.

Trump transition team spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded to a British newspaper report alleging plans for an executive order to remove all transgender troops from the military, dismissing it as speculation without basis. “These unnamed sources are speculating and have no idea what they are actually talking about. No decisions on this issue have been made,” Leavitt stated, emphasizing that only statements from Trump or his authorized representatives should be considered official policy.

Trump previously reversed a 2016 policy by former President Barack Obama, which had allowed transgender troops to serve openly, undergo gender reassignment surgery, and update their gender in Pentagon systems. President Joe Biden later overturned Trump’s policy during his first week in office

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Leavitt also noted that various inaccurate reports have circulated about the incoming administration’s plans. According to The Times, unnamed sources “familiar with Trump’s plans” suggested that removing transgender troops could harm recruitment, especially when the military is already facing challenges in enlisting new members. However, the number of transgender troops in the 1.3 million active-duty force remains unknown.

Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has pledged to eliminate “woke” policies and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that gained traction over the last decade, starting under the Obama administration.