By Katherine Tinsley
9:50am PDT, Mar 19, 2025
_
Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Monday, March 17, to announce his picks for the Naval Academy board.
"Completing my list of appointments to the United States Naval Academy, I am happy to announce that the full Board will consist of Sean Spicer, Walt Nauta, Congressman 'Doc Ronnie' Jackson, Congressman Derek Van Order, Senator Tim Sheehy and Earl Ehrhart," Trump penned. "Congratulations to you all!"
_
Donald Trump has been vocal about wanting the military to become more aligned with his conservative values. In an executive order, the president took a stance against transgender people enlisting in the military.
"The Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion," he stated.
_
Donald Trump later claimed certain conditions would prevent someone from joining the armed forces.
"Longstanding Department of Defense (DoD) policy (DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6130.03) provides that it is the policy of the DoD to ensure that service members are '[f]ree of medical conditions or physical defects that may reasonably be expected to require excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalization,'" the executive order reads.
"As a result, many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty, from conditions that require substantial medication or medical treatment to bipolar and related disorders, eating disorders, suicidality, and prior psychiatric hospitalization," the blurb states.
_
Donald Trump later said signing up for the military while transitioning into another gender is against its policies.
"Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's s** cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service. Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual's s** conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one's personal life.
"A man's assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member," he added.
_
Despite Donald Trump's concerns, a judge blocked the order.
"The court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes," U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wrote in legal documents, according to Associated Press. "We should all agree, however, that every person who has answered the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect."
_
Army Reserves 2nd Lt. Nicolas Talbott feared having to leave the military due to being transgender.
"This is such a sigh of relief," he told Associated Press after hearing Judge Ana Reyes' verdict. "This is all I've ever wanted to do. This is my dream job, and I finally have it. And I was so terrified that I was about to lose it."
