HT Exclusive: Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt slams transgender military ban report, says ‘no policy should…’

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated no decisions have been made, and any policy must come from Trump or authorised spokespeople.

President-elect Donald Trump’s team has denied claims of an impending transgender military ban, following a report by The Times that suggested Trump was preparing an executive order to expel transgender service members.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trumpin Brownsville, Texas, U.S., November 19, 2024. (via REUTERS / Brandon Bell)

Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, refuted the allegations, calling the report speculative and unfounded. The report comes on the heels of Trump’s nomination of Fox News personality and veteran Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and Republican’s stance on Transgender rights.

Karoline Leavitt dismisses transgender military ban plan

"These unnamed sources are speculating and have no idea what they are actually talking about,” the Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman told Hindustan Times in a statement. According to Leavitt, “No decisions on this issue have been made.” Refuting the claims as baseless she added, No policy should ever be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump or his authorised spokespeople.”

On November 24, the UK-based media outlet reported that the incoming Trump administration was allegedly planning to discharge all transgender military personnel, approximately 15,000 individuals, by declaring them unfit for service. "These people will be forced out at a time when the military can't recruit enough people," an unnamed insider informed The Times.

The report further suggested that the proposed order would also bar transgender individuals from joining the military in the future. “Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment, and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions."

Rumours of MAGA signing the executive order immediately after taking office in January received major backlash online; however, his team has clarified that no such plans are on the table as of now.

The alleged directive, which his team dismissed as false, would have been a broader plan compared to Trump’s first-term decision, which only banned new transgender recruits while allowing those already serving to remain. After Trump left office, President Biden issued an executive order in the first week of 2021 to reverse the ban

Trump taps Pete Hegseth as defense secretary

Trump appointed Fox News personality and combat veteran Pete Hegseth as his pick for Secretary of Defense. With experience serving as an infantry officer in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Hegseth has been a strong critic of military leadership that enforces policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In his public statements, including his book, Hegseth has made it clear that he believes the inclusion of transgender individuals in the military, particularly policies that allow transitioning while serving, complicates the military's readiness. Specifically, he argues that requiring military personnel to undergo gender-transition treatments, such as hormone therapy, could render service members nondeployable for extended periods, thereby impacting the military's ability to maintain operational strength.

In a November appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show, Hegseth argued against women serving in combat roles, saying, "I'm straight up just saying we shouldn't have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, it hasn't made us more lethal, it has made fighting more complicated."

Meanwhile, Trump is advocating for broad restrictions on transgender rights across multiple sectors, including education, healthcare, sports, and the military. His proposals may exclude transgender students from protections under Title IX, restrict gender-affirming care, ban transgender individuals from competing in women's sports, etc.