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Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to sign an executive order that would bar transgender individuals from serving in the military, potentially as early as his first day back in office. The order, expected to follow his inauguration on 20 January, would also result in the medical discharge of thousands of currently serving transgender personnel.

As per a report by The Sunday Times, defence sources estimate that approximately 15,000 transgender service members could be medically discharged, effectively deeming them unfit for military duty. This comes as Trump continues to criticise what he calls “woke” policies in the armed forces, claiming some senior officers prioritise diversity and inclusion over military readiness.

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A source cited by the report said that transgender people will be "forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people.” They added that only the Marine Corps is meeting recruitment targets and warned that some of the ones likely to beaffected hold senior roles.

The report follows Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former major in the US National Guard and Fox News host, as his defence secretary. Hegseth has been outspoken in his criticism of what he terms “weak” leadership in the military. In his recent book, he called for “housecleaning” within the ranks and called the medical care provided to transgender personnel an unnecessary expense for the Pentagon.

This would not be Trump’s first move against transgender individuals in the military. During his first term, he declared that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve, citing “tremendous medical costs and disruption.”

That policy, announced by Trumpin 2017, came into effect in 2019 before being reversed by President Joe Biden. Biden’s reversal allowed transgender individuals to serve once more, but Trump is now expected to not only reinstate the ban but go further by discharging those currently serving.

This anticipated executive order is just one of many actions Trump plans to take upon returning to office. His proposed measures include significant changes to immigration policies and other controversial initiatives likely to face strong opposition.

During his campaign, Trump vowed to roll back civil rights protections for LGBT+ individuals, block transgender students from participating in sports or using facilities aligned with their gender, and ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth across the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)