US defense secretary mocks judge for blocking transgender troop ban

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised a federal judge on Saturday after she blocked a ban on transgender troops in the military. His remarks follow similar attacks on the judiciary by President Donald Trump and other officials.

Judge rules against Trump’s order

US District Judge Ana Reyes ruled that Trump’s executive order, issued on January 27, likely violated the US Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. The order was one of several targeting transgender rights.

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Hegseth’s mocking response

Hegseth mocked the judge in a social media post, sarcastically calling her “Commander Reyes” and suggesting she had overstepped her role.

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Since “Judge” Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare. https://t.co/CNrl252Irs

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“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers,” he wrote. “After that, Commander Reyes can head to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets.”

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Hegseth’s strong stance on military policies

Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, has been pushing to ban transgender troops and remove diversity programs from the military.

(With inputs from agencies)