Trump isn’t playing around. He’s going right down to business in his second term.
And Donald Trump makes a stunning proposal that has Democrats’ hair on fire.
President Trump is set to sign two executive orders on Monday that will significantly reshape military policies, according to the New York Post. One order will prohibit transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces, while the other will eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the military.
Trump previously revoked the Biden administration’s 2021 directive allowing transgender service members to serve openly, but the new orders take things further by establishing stricter standards regarding pronouns, gender identity, and military readiness. The orders explicitly bar thousands of transgender individuals from serving, citing concerns about mental and physical preparedness.
“Unit cohesion requires high levels of integrity and stability among service members,” states a White House document. It adds that “no accommodation for anything less than resilience, strength, and the ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands” will be allowed.
The administration’s document argues that transgender service members undergoing treatments, such as gender-affirming surgeries, often face prolonged recovery periods requiring medical care and narcotics, which it claims hinder deployment and readiness.
According to 2014 estimates, there may be as many as 15,500 transgender service members in active or reserve roles, although no current data is available.
This move represents a revival of Trump’s earlier stance. In 2017, he tweeted his intent to bar transgender individuals from military service, a policy implemented in 2018 but later overturned by President Biden’s executive order in 2021.
The latest directive also instructs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enforce policies banning the “use of invented and identification-based pronouns,” segregate facilities like sleeping quarters and bathrooms by biological s*x, and prioritize medical standards that enhance “readiness and lethality.”
Criticism of the Biden administration’s military policies features prominently in the document, which denounces the Pentagon’s embrace of what it terms “gender insanity.” It claims these policies have allowed soldiers to serve without being “physically or mentally prepared” while paying for transgender medical treatments.
The second executive order aims to dismantle DEI initiatives within the military. It explicitly bans any practices that involve “discriminatory race- or s*x-based preferences” and calls for internal reviews to identify and eliminate DEI-related “discrimination.” The document suggests that some military leaders accused of embracing “woke” policies may face scrutiny.
Trump’s administration argues that DEI initiatives, introduced under the Obama and Biden administrations, have undermined morale and contributed to the military’s lowest recruiting numbers since 1940. The order directs Hegseth and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to review service academy curricula, ensuring the removal of what it describes as “radical DEI and gender ideologies.”
“Today’s Order moves our military away from this dark period and renews esprit de corps, readiness, and focus. It returns the Pentagon to the warfighter,” the DEI-related document asserts.
It also emphasizes the importance of combatting ideologies that divide the armed forces by race, s*x, or other immutable characteristics, claiming such divisions harm military cohesion and effectiveness.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, narrowly confirmed last week in a 51-50 Senate vote with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, will oversee the implementation of these orders.
In a statement published Saturday, Hegseth committed to deterring global threats, particularly from China, while emphasizing “lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.”
The orders align with Trump’s broader military agenda, which includes bolstering border security and using the armed forces to assist with deportations. During his inauguration, Trump pledged to prioritize defending the nation against “threats and invasions.”
The 2024 GOP platform also reflects this vision, promising to make the U.S. military the “strongest” in the world. The platform outlines plans to invest in advanced technologies, support troops with higher pay, and eliminate what it describes as “woke Left-wing” influence.
“Republicans will ensure our Military is the most modern, lethal, and powerful Force in the World,” the platform says. It also pledges to implement an Iron Dome missile defense system and remove officials aligned with progressive military policies.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
