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    How Trump's Transgender Ban Compromises His Military Authority

    The president’s commander-in-chief powers are almost sacrosanct. But a lawsuit filed by trans service members has a shot at blocking the hastily announced order.
    by Garrett Epps Aug 11, 2017 5 minutes
    Source: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    “Our opponents, the media, and the whole world will soon see, as we begin to take further actions, that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned,” presidential adviser Stephen Miller told the nation on February 13.

    Rarely has a prophecy been quite this wrong. As president, Donald Trump has displayed a perverse genius: He is able to convince even reluctant judges to question his judgment and block his authority. Even in legal arenas courts are traditionally reluctant to enter, Trump’s headstrong approach has brought his initiatives to a dead halt.

    The latest victim of his itchy Twitter fingers, I suspect, will be the commander-in-chief power. This is an almost sacrosanct area of authority that Trump placed in harm’s way with a , which proclaimed that “the United States government will not accept or allow … transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.”

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