Trump troops order appears to pave way for transgender ban – US politics live
Trump troops order appears to pave way for transgender ban – US politics live
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Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of all the latest from US politics. Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders late last night to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the military, reinstate thousands of troops who were kicked out for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, and direct officials to reassess the military’s policy on transgender troops.
![[Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, arrives at the White House. She has long blonde hair and is wearing a black coat.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9b46643ddc5091bc0e6bf8b90150ff793e8ce727/808_214_2739_1643/master/2739.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
As Reuters reports, Trump signed the executive orders while flying back from Miami to Washington DC. One of the executive orders said that expressing a “gender identity” different from an individual’s sex at birth did not meet military standards.
![[U.S. President Donald Trump dances as House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) (L) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) applaud after Trump addressed the 2025 Republican Issues Conference at the Trump National Doral Miami on January 27, 2025 in Doral, Florida.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cb39122aec399b068dfa1c43fac13e2f81477425/0_0_6000_4179/master/6000.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The move does appear to be paving the way for a ban of transgender soldiers in the military. Trump had tried to implement such a ban during his first term, but it was tangled up in the courts for years before being overturned by Joe Biden shortly after he took office.
![[House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks from behind a podium at the 2025 House Republican Members Conference Dinner at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ee26a737bb3d2352892315ff75a2937cd56dcf9f/0_0_5616_3744/master/5616.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Lawyers for transgender troops who challenged the ban in the courts during Trump’s first term have already pledged to fight a new ban. We’ll be bringing you more on this soon. In other developments:. Yesterday Pete Hegseth, who narrowly secured enough votes to become defense secretary, referred to the names of Confederate generals that were once used for two key bases during his remarks to reporters as he entered the Pentagon on his first full day on the job. Hegseth referred to Fort Moore and Fort Liberty by their previous names, Fort Benning and Fort Bragg. The names honouring Confederate officers were changed under former Biden as part of an effort to reexamine US history and the Confederate legacy.
![[President Donald Trump address congressional Republicans at a gathering in Miami. He is seen behind a podium on stage in a conference room. The audience are sat around circular tables.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8ce0fd7b9f61b87ed09b3a24161a3f6f71c9732f/0_0_5678_3785/master/5678.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
