White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't have an answer on what will happen to transgender people already serving under a re-instated military ban.
Hours before Sanders took the podium on Wednesday, Trump had gone on social media to announce that, after consulting his generals and military experts, he had decided that transgender individuals will no longer be allowed "to serve in any capacity" in the military.
The announcement, which caught officials at the Pentagon off guard, dominated the briefing. And Sanders was unable to offer many details on the change in policy -- including what exactly it means for transgender servicemembers currently deployed overseas.
"The implementation policy is going to be something that the White House and the Department of Defense have to work together to lawfully determine," Sanders said, before brushing off suggestions that the announcement means that Trump has abandoned his campaign pledge from a year ago to be a champion for the LGBT community.
"The decision is based on a military decision," she said. "It's not meant to be anything more than that."
Eventually, Sanders grew frustrated by all the questions on the topic.
"As I've said before, and I'll try to make this clear: this was a military decision. This was about military readiness. This was about unit cohesion," Sanders said. "This was about resources within the military, and nothing more. Guys, I really don't have anything else to add on that topic. As I do, I'll keep you posted.
