Trump’s Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is lashing out at federal judge Ana Reyes after she blocked Trump’s ban on transgender military service. Last week, Judge Reyes, the first openly LGBTQ district court judge in Washington, ruled that the executive order banning transgender troops was “unabashedly demeaning” and amounted to sex-based discrimination. She stated, “The military ban is dripping with pretext. Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”
On Monday, Hegseth, a vocal critic of diversity and inclusion in the military, took to social media, sarcastically calling Reyes “Commander Reyes” and suggesting she report for military duty. He also mocked her credentials, implying she lacked the expertise to make decisions on military readiness. Trump’s military ban has already triggered multiple lawsuits, with plaintiffs arguing it violates the Fifth Amendment. Meanwhile, rising tensions between Trump’s administration and the federal judiciary have led to safety concerns, with Trump and his allies attacking judges who challenge his policies.
