Trump Says He Banned Transgender People From the Military Over Prescription Drugs

President falsely claims military prohibits prescription drugs
Pentagon spent about $8 million on transgender care since 2016

1503702160_US-troops-marines-military — Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images

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By Alex Wayne and Travis Tritten (Bloomberg Government)

June 5, 2019 at 1:32 PM UTC

Updated on

June 5, 2019 at 2:47 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

President Donald Trump said his administration reinstituted a ban against most transgender people serving in the military because some of them take prescription medicine, claiming erroneously that the armed services prohibit drug use.

Trump was asked why he implemented the ban, which took effect in March, during an interview with ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” broadcast earlier on Wednesday.