The Trump-Russia collusion saga must really be getting hot. America’s tweeter-in-chief is trying to change the subject — again. ADVERTISING The Trump-Russia collusion saga must really be getting hot. America’s tweeter-in-chief is trying to change the subject — again. Shortly
The Trump-Russia collusion saga must really be getting hot. America’s tweeter-in-chief is trying to change the subject — again.
Shortly before dawn’s early light Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced more national policy via Twitter. He declared the United States would no longer “accept or allow” transgender people in the U.S. military.
The Pentagon was as surprised as anyone by the tweeted declaration. The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday no changes would be made until the directives came via official channels.
Transgender people already are serving their country. The armed services were in the process of reviving a decision by the Defense Department, under President Barack Obama, to allow transgender individuals to serve openly.
Trump did not explain or elaborate on his thinking, which is hardly new. He predictably invested no effort into arriving at another disturbing blurt of nonsense.
The president, who never served, dismisses but cannot factually impugn the roles of transgender members of the military. Trump’s latest scamper through La La Land had U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., among those wondering what this latest executive brain flare was all about.
Transgender people serve in the military in 18 other nations, from Canada to Israel to the Czech Republic.
Trump tried to suggest that the presence of transgender service members represented a burden on the Pentagon budget. Really? A 2016 Rand Corp. study estimated there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender people on active duty, out of 1.3 million service members.
Financial costs for hormonal treatments and surgeries might cost about $8.4 million or about the same as security for three of Trump’s frequent golf trips to Mar-a-Lago and other Trump-branded getaways.
Let’s go back to basics. President Trump is furious and deeply anxious about the ongoing Russia investigation. What do we know for sure? The U.S. intelligence community is in full agreement the Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
What has the Trump administration done to prevent future interference? Nothing. What is the president doing in the meantime? Getting up very early to flush the byproduct of his fetid imagination.
Given a choice between protecting America’s democratic process or insulting U.S. citizens who have volunteered to protect their county, Trump’s inclination was painfully easy to predict.
— The Seattle Times
