United States President-elect, Donald Trump, is planning to dismiss all transgender soldiers serving in the US military, Western media have reported.
The Times reports that Trump will likely issue the executive order on his first day in office after being sworn in on January 20, 2025.
If Trump signs the executive order, it will remove about 15,000 transgender people believed to serve in the US military.
The medical team will discharge them after classifying them as unfit for service. Transgender individuals often rely on medical treatment.
Trump’s policy sharply contrasts with those of the Obama and Biden administrations, which allowed transgender people to serve openly in the US military.
In 2017, when he took office for his first mandate, Trump banned the recruitment of transgender people into the army but kept those who had already been recruited.
The White House stated on March 13, 2018, that the decision aimed to “enhance our military’s readiness, lethality and effectiveness.”
The White House argued that transgender soldiers constitute a “considerable risk” to military effectiveness and lethality because they may rely on medical treatment like drugs and surgery.
When Biden came to power in 2021, he overturned Trump’s policy during his first week in office.
It is speculated Trump will not only stop transgender people from joining the military as he did before, but will dismiss those already in the army.
