President Donald Trump is turbo-charging 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 ban transgender people from the services, DailyMail.com confirmed.
He already signed an executive order on his first day in office last week to reverse Joe Biden's 2021 directive allowing transgender people to serve in the military.
A new order goes even further, imposing new military standards regarding pronoun use and gender identity.
It also directly bans transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.
Trump has already taken several actions to ban these initiatives in the federal government.
The practices require that certain protected groups – such as minorities, women and people with disabilities – be prioritized for job placement.
Republicans say they want a return to “common sense” that prioritizes “merit-based hiring.”
Trump also plans to sign an executive order reinstating service members fired for refusing Joe Biden's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. He will also pay them back and restore their previous rank.
President Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to end Dei military initiatives and ban transgender troops from serving in the armed forces. Pictured: Trump participates in the review of troops during his inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, January 20, 2025
A fact sheet about 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 receiving transition surgery or beginning hormone replacement treatments
The latest orders are guidelines for the Pentagon to take action, meaning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must act to create a directive for the branches to implement.
Hegseth now begins his first day on the job as Secretary of Defense.
He spoke to reporters outside the Pentagon Monday morning and said there will be a major “shift” in how the DOD works from here.
It is not clear when or if current trans service members will be dismissed.
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 identify as trans.
A fact sheet in the order says no “accommodations” can be made for “anything less than resilience, strength and the ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands.”
“Individuals unable to meet these requirements cannot serve in the military,” the document notes. “This has been the case for decades.”
Pete Hegseth spoke to reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon for his first day on the job and Donald Trump's Secretary of State on Monday, January 27, 2025
Admiral Rachel Levine (pictured) is a transgender female member of the uniformed Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services during the administration of President Joe Biden
In specific salute to the issue of trans troops, the fact sheet notes how physically taxing the treatments are and how it can impact military readiness.
“It can take a minimum of 12 months for a person to complete treatments after menopause surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics,” it reads. “During this period, they are not physically able to meet military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care.”
“This is not conducive to deployment or other readiness requirements.”
It says transgender members threaten “unit cohesion” and “stability among service members.”
