--- title: President Trump's Tweets Catch D.C. Off Guard description: Via tweets, President Trump reversed Obama-era policy on transgender troops serving in the military, surprising the Pentagon and Congress. canonical: https://time.com/4874245/president-trumps-tweets-catch-d-c-off-guard/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-26T17:30:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:44:06.922Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump's Tweets Catch D.C. Off Guard og:description: Via tweets, President Trump reversed Obama-era policy on transgender troops serving in the military, surprising the Pentagon and Congress. og:url: https://time.com/4874245/president-trumps-tweets-catch-d-c-off-guard/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump's Tweets Catch D.C. Off Guard twitter:description: Via tweets, President Trump reversed Obama-era policy on transgender troops serving in the military, surprising the Pentagon and Congress. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump's Tweets Catch D.C. Off Guard > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 26, 2017 5:30 PM UTC  The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Jul 26, 2017 5:30 PM UTC In a surprise series of tweets Wednesday morning, President Trump reversed Obama-era policy on transgender troops serving in the military—and in the process caught everyone from the Pentagon to Capitol Hill off-guard. Trump tweeted that the “United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military” ignoring the fact that thousands already do so honorably. Under review was the Pentagon’s policy for new recruits, as well as the cost for medical treatments. Trump didn’t specify what will happen to those thousands of servicemembers, and the Pentagon wasn’t prepared to provide guidance on what he meant. Some White House aides were also caught off guard by Trump’s missive, and Capitol Hill was left completely in the dark—eliciting sharp barbs from even Republican lawmakers. “The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter,” Sen. John McCain said in a statement. But the chaos was part of what Trump was trying to accomplish. Trump’s angry response to the Russia investigation is showing no limits, as Trump’s assault on his own Attorney General is continued and expanded to the acting director of the FBI. Trump makes more promises to his supporters in Ohio. And the Senate is voting on a range of healthcare options after Tuesday’s motion to proceed—but the votes still don’t appear to be there for the GOP. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [Trump Administration to Bar Transgender Individuals From Serving in U.S. Military ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-to-ban-transgender-individuals-from-serving-in-u-s-military-1501075174)The president made the announcement in a series of tweets \[Wall Street Journal\] [These Ohio Voters Made Trump President. ](http://time.com/4873955/donald-trump-youngstown-ohio-support/)They’re Still With Him \[TIME\] [The Standoff Between Trump and Sessions Escalates ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-standoff-between-trump-and-sessions-escalates/2017/07/25/5a51f3fc-7172-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.11e6580589dd)Sessions isn’t taking Trump’s hint \[Washington Post\] [At Ohio Rally, Trump Keeps Making Campaign Promises ](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/25/trump-youngstown-ohio-rally-promises-240967)The president revels in campaign atmosphere in Youngstown, where health care was only part of the message \[Politico\] [Senate Votes Down Broad Obamacare Repeal ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/us/politics/senate-health-care.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news)Now to Plan C \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “I told you before, I’m very disappointed with the Attorney General, but we will see what happens. Time will tell. Time will tell.” — President Trump at a Tuesday press conference “Now here’s what I do. I’d ask whether or not you someday think I will be on Mount Rushmore. But here’s the problem, if I did it joking, totally joking, having fun, the fake news media will say ‘he believes he should be on Mount Rushmore.’ So I won’t say it. Okay? I won’t say it.” — Trump at a campaign rally Tuesday **Bits and Bites** [President Trump on Whether He Will Fire Jeff Sessions: ‘Time Will Tell’ ](http://time.com/4873479/donald-trump-jeff-sessions-firing-criticism/)\[TIME\] [Mike Pence Breaks Tie in Senate to Begin Health Care Debate](http://time.com/4873411/health-care-bill-mike-pence-vote/) \[Associated Press\] [‘We’re getting nothing done’: McCain, in emotional return, laments what the Senate has become](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/were-getting-nothing-done-mccain-in-emotional-return-laments-what-the-senate-has-become/2017/07/25/54d1c812-715e-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304%5Fstory.html?hpid=hp%5Fhp-top-table-main%5Fpkcapitol-831pm:homepage/story&utm%5Fterm=.4fafa695bf98) \[Washington Post\] [U.S. energy secretary duped into fake interview with Russian comedians](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energysecretary-idUSKBN1AB06G) \[Reuters\] [Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/world/asia/afghanistan-trump-mineral-deposits.html?%5Fr=0) \[New York Times\] [White House to announce Apple-supplier Foxconn manufacturing plant in Wisconsin on Wednesday](http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/26/trump-scott-walker-to-reveal-foxconn-factory-plans-in-wisconsin.html) \[CNBC\] [How Many Transgender People Serve in the Military?](http://time.com/4874380/donald-trump-military-transgender-how-many/) \[TIME\] [‘I Can Be More Presidential Than Any President.’ Read Trump’s Ohio Rally Speech](http://time.com/4874161/donald-trump-transcript-youngstown-ohio/) \[TIME\] [New Justice Department Rules Crack Down on Sanctuary Cities](http://time.com/4873938/justice-department-sanctuary-cities-jeff-sessions-crackdown/) \[Associated Press\] [House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill That Curbs President Trump’s Power on Russian Sanctions](http://time.com/4873714/house-russia-sanctions-donald-trump/) \[Associated Press\] [Senate Judiciary Committee withdraws subpoena for Manafort](https://www.apnews.com/abd2f33af46d4041a920c1fd21483c7d/Senate-Judiciary-Committee-withdraws-subpoena-for-Manafort) \[Associated Press\] [Senators on hot mic: Trump is ‘crazy,’ ‘I’m worried’](https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/politics/wp/2017/07/25/senators-on-hot-mic-trump-is-crazy-im-worried/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories) \[Washington Post\] [Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House](http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/department-of-energy-risks-michael-lewis) \[Vanity Fair\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4874245/president-trumps-tweets-catch-d-c-off-guard/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4874245/president-trumps-tweets-catch-d-c-off-guard/"},"headline":"President Trump's Tweets Catch D.C. 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