Donald Trump Hates the Military (Pt. 2)

A Series!

I know, I know. I already wrote this column for my former blog back in December 2024 (and reposted it to my personal Substack just last week). But Trump has been busy during his first few weeks back in office, and amidst the chaos remains his clear commitment to disrupt, dismantle, and disrespect our military community.

Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at some of Agent Orange’s greatest hits since January 20^th.

(1) The Erosion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Efforts.

DEI programs exist to ensure that all people, regardless of their identifiers (such as age, race, gender, or sexuality) are afforded equal access to opportunities. Full stop. These programs do NOT exist or otherwise function as to leverage specific groups over others or to disregard merit-based recruitment. There’s a distinction, and it matters.

Unless you’re the president of the United States, in which case any program that fails to draw a direct line to the straight white male community is considered a direct threat.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that one of his first priorities as commander in chief was to obliterate the protective policies that took decades to implement. Since taking office, Trump has issued a series of executive orders that mandate the elimination of DEI offices, positions, and programs within federal agencies (EO 14151); revoked previous executive orders that promoted DEI initiatives and now prohibit federal contracts with companies that engage in DEI hiring practices (EO 14173); and revoked President Biden’s prior directive that all qualified Americans be able to serve their country in uniform (EO 14183).

And he’s been smart about it, too, positioning DEI policies as a direct challenge to merit-based practices, traditional American values, military cohesion, and even government spending.

In truth, this dismantling of diversity initiatives inflicts profound and lasting harm upon the very populations these programs were meant to uplift, including within our military community. At a time when the military is already facing a recruitment crisis, its perceived hostility (at the direction of the administration) towards potential applicants seems an odd way to attract the very talent it claims to value, while further risking the premature departure of more experienced personnel. Consequently, the military’s readiness and cohesion will suffer, as the absence of diverse perspectives compromises both decision-making and adaptability. Veterans will also be harmed, as the elimination of DEI programming contributes to disparities in care, limited access to transition programs, and related mental health struggles.

And guess what? Veterans are precisely the kind of group DEI programs are designed to uplift, meaning they directly benefit from them.

Let’s be real, stripping away DEI isn’t about preserving military strength; it’s a calculated effort to dehumanize certain segments of our population and devalue their service to this country. In the past two months, we’ve seen various military branches downgrade or eliminate sexual assault prevention and response programming; expunge websites honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, Navajo Code Talkers, and women who have served in combat; and attempt to forcibly discharge certain sectors of active duty servicemembers on the basis of identity, including those who identify as transgender.

My opponents will argue that an emphasis on DEI leads to internal discord within military units, which begs the question: if our servicemembers can’t collaborate in the name of national security, aren’t they a bit too emotional to be leading us in war? 🤔

(2) The Assault on Transgender Servicemembers and Veterans.

Turns out, “Support our troops!” comes with certain conditions under the current administration.

No, I know. I’m as surprised as you.

Look, I’ll readily admit that the portion of our military community which identifies as transgender is quite small, with estimates of 1,320 to 6,630 in the active component (of approximately 1.3 million); 830 to 4,160 in the selected reserve (of approximately 762,000); and 134,000 veterans (of approximately 15.8 million).

But there are broader implications to Trump’s targeted policies, which aren’t just discriminatory—they’re an authoritarian overreach attempting to dictate one of the most intimate aspects of the human identity. More broadly, these efforts lay the groundwork for future targeted discrimination based on other identifiers and a wider assault on civil liberties.

Among the most alarming of the administration’s policies is its attempt to fully ban transgender servicemembers, in a move that not only targets a vulnerable minority population but also undermines the very principles of equality and service. (For those tracking, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. just issued a preliminary injunction, or temporary pause, on the service ban, citing the “cruel irony . . . that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them”). But while this issue plays out in court, transgender servicemembers must function without many of the protective policies that once existed, including with respect to bathroom and housing assignments, dress codes, and sensitivity and inclusion trainings. Equally as dehumanizing, they must serve under the leadership of a Defense Secretary who insists he will “win” the charge against transgender servicemembers.

Larger concerns also exist regarding the erasure of transgender servicemembers—both their accomplishments and their very existence. Stories like that of Kristin Beck, a SEAL Team Six veteran with a 20-year career and multiple high-level awards, are being systematically removed from government websites. And transgender veterans may no longer seek gender-affirming care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, including hormone treatment therapy for gender dysmorphia or mental health services specific to the unique needs of this community.

Because I’m very good, I’ve already anticipated the same tired argument about readiness and cohesion. But the data—AND the testimony of our highest-ranking officers—refutes any assertion that the presence of transgender servicemembers has a negative impact on military functioning. And frankly, if our military is so emotionally fragile that it cannot tolerate diversity amongst servicemembers, then we’re far weaker than we realize. More than that, can we really, in good conscience, ask transgender servicemembers to defend a country which is waging a war against their very existence?

(3) The Shift in Leadership and International Alliances.

The right’s manufactured outrage over DEI policies and transgender servicemembers merely serves to distract us from a real threat to military cohesion and standing: the administration’s systematic removal of key leadership and global alliances.

In recent weeks, Trump has fired General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations; and General James Slife, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, in addition to Admiral Linda L. Fagan, Coast Guard Commandant, and the top judge advocate generals for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. I know what you’re thinking (again, I’m very good) and yes, former presidents have also relieved senior commanders upon taking office.

The distinction? No other president has conducted such mass firings and without cause.

I suppose that if you were to ask the White House, they would argue that they had clear cause for these removals. For example, Brown was a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter following the murder of George Floyd. Fagan was targeted for her “excessive focus on [DEI] policies” and failure to send the desired resources to the border at Trump’s request. Repeatedly, Trump & Co. have attacked the military’s seeming “wokeness” and loyalty to the Constitution over a sitting president, and shown a preference for less qualified leaders who more publicly align with the administration’s agenda.

But there’s a cost to destabilizing your country’s first line of defense. The administration’s purge of top leadership sacrifices expertise for blind loyalty, creating critical vulnerabilities and potentially crippling our crisis response. Such abrupt changes further disrupt the established relationships and delicate balances that are essential for effective foreign policy, a reality underscored by the scrutiny of General Milley's communications with China following the January 6^th riots. And it poisons morale, cementing servicemembers’ belief that their lives are mere pawns in a political game.

Truly, this is a profound betrayal of those who serve, with long-term repercussions that will take years to unfold and even longer to correct.

The fallout extends beyond our own borders. Consider the NATO summit, where Trump’s petulant demands for increased financial contributions from our allies weren’t just ill-mannered—they were a strategic gift to his bestie Putin, fracturing the very alliance meant to counter Russian aggression. Then there was the unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, a move that left our European partners scrambling and Iran closer than ever to nuclear capability. And let’s not forget the trade wars with the EU, where tariffs became tools of diplomatic isolation and manipulation, disrupting crucial economic partnerships that often support joint military operations and logistics.

Trump’s campaign agenda of “America First” more honestly translates to “America Alone,” with recent actions leaving a trail of diplomatic wreckage in its wake that, among other things, leaves our military with fewer allies than ever before. As a result, we now face limited access to crucial forward-operating bases, intelligence-sharing, and joint military exercises that are crucial to our combat readiness. Trump’s actions might also embolden adversaries who likely see opportunity in our isolation, forcing our military to spread itself thinner and face even greater risks. This erodes the very foundation of the international security architecture that the U.S. military relies upon.

I’ll give credit where it’s due: Trump has delivered a masterclass in alienating allies and jeopardizing our military. He's certainly earned his place in history . . . as the architect of our military's decline.

(4) The Dissolution of VA Manpower and Services.

I’ll admit it: this one’s personal.

I’ve committed 10 years of my life to serving veterans as an attorney with the VA. In this time, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some truly remarkable people—colleagues who have dedicated themselves to serving veterans and navigating a system rife with roadblocks (yes, even for the employees). I’ve equally cherished hearing the stories of veterans, becoming intimately familiar with their traumas and the ways in which this can fundamentally alter their paths.

VA’s I CARE principles (integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence) aren’t just words; they’re the actual values I see lived out every day by the people I work with, as rightfully earned by the people I work on behalf of. While I acknowledge that the Department can be improved, I’ve seen firsthand the genuine honor my colleagues feel in supporting those who have served.

And now we are under attack.

Since taking office, Trump has targeted federal employees as a way of eliminating government waste. (Will the White House be included in these efforts? Asking for my country.) To date, an estimated 2,400 probationary employees have been fired from VA and nearly 600 contracts canceled, with plans to fire an additional 83,000 employees by end of year.

In a recent social media post, VA Secretary Doug Collins assured viewers that this reduction in workforce would be accomplished “without making cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries. VA will also fulfill its duty to provide veterans, families, caregivers and survivors the health care and benefits they have earned. That’s a promise.”

An empty promise, perhaps. A 17 percent reduction in workforce practically guarantees service collapse in a system already struggling to meet the community’s needs.

Being a faithful advocate for veterans means challenging false narratives regarding their access to care.

So let’s be clear: reduced personnel translates to even longer wait times for medical care, disability benefits, and other programming, crushing an already-burdened system and causing veterans needless distress. The strain on remaining staff breeds burnout and erodes quality of care. Already, VA medical facilities have been preventedfrom “buying more supplies for hospitals, operating shuttles for patients, covering lodging for veterans, and much more,” while mental health staff cannot find HIPAA-compliant facilities in which to take their calls. Medical research and trainings have also been cut in addition to “non-essential” and non-traditional therapies, while staff at the Veterans Crisis Line is diminished and demoralized. This reduction in services genuinely amounts to little more than a reckless gamble with veterans’ lives by jeopardizing specialized care, disrupting continuity, and betraying the very promise made to those who served that they would not be abandoned by the country they fought for.

Adding to this assault on veterans is that reality that many of those fired are veterans themselves, comprising an estimated 20 to 25 percent of the VA workforce.

Photo by Erica Dischino for MPR News.

This isn’t about government efficiency; it’s about life and death. And without swift and decisive challenges to the intended VA cutbacks, we will be directly responsible for the deaths of countless veterans due to insufficient medical care, inefficient delivery of benefits, and the neglect of critical mental health needs.

Thank you for your service, indeed.

Again, I’ll note that this isn’t a comprehensive list of all the ways in which the administration has recently attacked the military community. No, we could also talk about Trump’s efforts to deploy the military for personal means (a gross abuse of power and direct violation of the law); the appointment of an alcoholic and sexual predator to leadthe Department of Defense, resulting in casual bro/wartime planning via text; and the indiscriminate firing of veterans who, after years of service, had finally found their peace.

But I digress.

While Trump and his buddies play their political games, I can only beg you to remember their pawns: the men and women who fought for this country. And that’s not just a disgrace; it’s an utter betrayal.