Last week, when Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he will be banning transgender people from joining the U.S. military, he sited the mounting “medical costs” as reason for his decision.
But as with most numbers Trump cites, it appears he’s got it all wrong. In fact, not only were Trump’s claims that the medical costs are a “tremendous” disruption, it seems he’s spending more on his own vacations than medical care for transgender troops.
Right on time, ThinkProgress reported that Trump’s travels to Mar-A-Lago already costs at least three times what it does to provide transition-related health services for transgender service members.
The Coast Guard, which protects Mar-a-Lago during Trump’s trips there, has thus far spent $6.6 million on Trump’s self-proclaimed Winter White House.
Transgender transition services cost between $2.4 and $8.4 million in an entire year.
Further, these potential cuts to services for the transgender community and growing costs for Mar-a-Lago come at a time when the Coast Guard’s budget is being scaled back by $267 million.
Not only is the banning of transgender troops unfounded and unconstitutional, Trump’s bolstered security means residents who live on America’s shores will potentially face less protection from the Coast Guard, which frequently assists communities in response to natural disasters and other emergencies.
All in a days work for the Trump administration.