Trump to expel transgenders from US military after taking office: Report

US President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pass an executive order that would expel transgender service members from the military, The Times reported, while citing defence sources.

Soon after taking over office on January 20 next year, Trump is reportedly preparing to sign the orders banning transgender people from the US military. The move would medically discharge 15,000 transgender service members from the armed forces and declare them unfit to serve.

The orders would also impose a ban on transgender members joining the military, coming at a time when nearly all branches of the US armed forces are struggling to meet recruitment targets.

Trump, 78, has criticised what he calls "woke" practices in the military, arguing that some senior officers focus more on diversity, equity, and inclusion than on readiness.

Trump, in his first term, said that the US would no longer “accept or allow” transgender people in the armed forces, citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption.” The ban came into force in 2019.

However, President Joe Biden reversed that policy after taking over office. Now, Trump, back at hem, is likely to revoke Biden's order and will take a step forward by removing the currently-serving trans troops, The Times reported.

The executive order is one of many actions President-elect Trump plans to take upon returning to the White House, including broad measures on immigration. All of these actions are expected to face significant legal challenges.

During his campaign, Trump, aligning with Republican groups that spent tens of millions on anti-trans ads targeting a group that makes up less than 1 percent of the US population, vowed to roll back critical civil rights protections for the LGBT+ community. He pledged to block transgender students from participating in sports or using bathrooms corresponding to their gender identities and plans to ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth nationwide, The Independent reported.