President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. government will not allow transgender individuals to serve in the military “in any capacity,” reversing a 2016 decision made under President Obama. But the decision contradicts a promise Trump made during his campaign to support the LGBT community.
“I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedom and beliefs,” Trump wrote in June 14, 2016 tweet.
The message came just weeks before then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that transgender people could openly serve in the armed forces. The Pentagon recently announced a six-month delay on that rule change.
Trump’s tweet also came two days after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people were killed at a nightclub serving predominantly LGBTQ patrons.
Trump’s 2016 tweet immediately began re-circulating on Twitter after he announced the new transgender ban.
Caitlyn Jenner, who told CNN’s Don Lemon in April that she had voted for Trump, quoted the tweet, writing on Twitter, “there are 15,000 patriotic transgender Americans in the US military fighting for all of us. What happened to your promise to fight for them?”
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