Donald Trump plans to reinstate a more extreme transgender military ban if he returns to office, aiming to medically discharge all current transgender service members, deeming them unfit to serve, according to defense sources cited by The Times. This proposal would go further than his previous 2017 ban, which only prevented new transgender recruits from enlisting, while allowing those already serving to remain.

With approximately 15,000 transgender service members currently active, some with decades of service, the new ban would force them out despite the military’s struggle to meet recruitment goals. Only the Marine Corps is reportedly meeting its recruitment targets.

Trump’s first ban, announced via Twitter in 2017 and enforced in 2019, was lifted by President Joe Biden in 2021, who argued that an inclusive military is more effective. Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, dismissed claims of a new ban as speculative, stating that no decisions had been made.

Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, has voiced opposition not only to transgender service members but also to women in combat roles, claiming “woke” policies are harming the military.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the proposed ban, calling it a threat to national security and an act of transphobia. She emphasized that transgender service members have demonstrated dedication and qualifications, and their exclusion would be harmful to the military’s readiness and the nation’s defense.