Former Vice President Mike Pence recently told a crowd of Republicans that he will reinstate former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender personnel serving the United States military if he is elected president in 2024.
During the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Pence said, “We can embrace our role as leader of the free world to confront Russian aggression and Chinese provocations with a new military fitted to the challenges in the 21st century. And we can end the political correctness at the Pentagon, including reinstituting a ban on transgender personnel in the United States military.”
Trump first announced the ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military on Twitter in July of 2017.
At the time, Trump wrote, “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”
Trump claimed that the U.S. military needed to focus on “decisive and overwhelming victory,” adding that the military could not be “burdened” by the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” that would occur with transgender individuals as part of the military.
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The 45th president has already announced that he intends to reinstate the transgender military ban if he becomes the Republican nominee and is able to defeat President Joe Biden in next year’s election.
“On day one, I will reinstate the Trump ban on transgenders in the military,” Trump said. “Our warriors should be focused on crushing American enemies.”
In addition to the former president and vice president, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has announced his intention to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military, according to The Daily Wire.
On the other hand, Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has indicated that he will not institute a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, but would instead focus on preventing children from becoming the target of the transgender movement.
