It is being reported that before Trump left the White House on Friday, he signed a memo that gave the Department of Defense, and Homeland Security the formal authority to kick transgender persons out of the military.
Jackie Alemany of CBS News tweeted:
NEWS: Per WH official, Trump signed exec memo giving DOD/ DHS formal authority to expel transgender people from the military earlier today
— Jackie Alemany (@JaxAlemany) August 25, 2017
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It is important to distinguish between having authority to do something and using that authority. Military leadership has stated that they have no intention of forcing transgender persons out, but the message that Trump memo sends is clear. Trump is trying to take the country back to a time of discrimination against the LGBT community. Trump’s memo is an encouragement of discrimination.
A recent Reuters poll found that by a more than 2-1 margin, the American people support allowing transgender persons to serve in the military. Trump is on the wrong side of this issue, as once again, the President has demonstrated that he is governing for a tiny base of racists and bigots, not the entire country.
The outrages continue to pile up, and it is only a matter of time until the two-thirds of the country that do not support Trump come together to oust him from office. Donald Trump and his throwback policies to a bygone bigoted era are living on borrowed time because Trump’s outnumbered and the American people will fight back.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
