Donald Trump continues to defend his bizarre and as-of-yet-still-unenforced "ban" against transgendered Americans serving in our military. As with everything else he has said while at his Golf Course White House, it consists of bluster and posturing with not even the hint of factual argument.
“It’s been a very complicated issue for the military, it’s been a very confusing issue for the military, and I think I’m doing the military a great favor,” Trump told reporters at his golf club in New Jersey, where he’s vacationing this month.
Those who have been forced to pay attention to Trump will quickly recognize this as his go-to bluster for every question he is asked: He is great, his decisions are great, everyone loves his decisions or will love his decisions in the future, that's that, next question. He continues to exhibit all the symptoms of a barely functional narcissist; it's not merely that he blusters about everything, all the time, but that he cannot seem to even retain more than a cursory bit of information about any topic not directly related to himself and his own perceived success. Meanwhile, in the real world:
U.S. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said he would follow directions from the president on transgender people in the military but believes "any patriot" should be allowed to serve. [...]
Spencer said he believes that, on a fundamental basis, "any patriot that wants to serve and meets all the requirements should be able to serve in our military," according to news reports.
I remain convinced that Trump issued the ban against transgendered troops because he was too stupid to follow the back-and-forth discussions his advisers were having on the subject and simply chose whatever option he thought would get them out of his (ahem) hair. From North Korea to the healthcare debate to this, there's been no evidence to date of Donald Trump retaining more than a handful of talking points about any subject, whether simple or complex; he simply parrots a few of them whenever someone asks, then quickly drifts into praise for himself and visions of people, usually imagined, thanking him for his genius. He’s not acting as a president, he’s been bluffing the whole way through. A grifter, trying to get through each day without being exposed.