Mike Pence defends call to again ban transgender Americans from military service

NEVADA, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence defended his call to again ban transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military, saying it undermines military readiness and unit cohesion.

Pence, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has previously said if he becomes president he would again prohibit transgender Americans from serving in the military, as was the policy when he was vice president under Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters Saturday in Nevada following a roundtable with first responders, Pence said the idea of admitting people to the military who would then undergo a gender transition "makes no sense."

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"Look, we have people of every background, of every race and creed and color and persuasion in the military today," Pence said. "But having transgender personnel, I believe, erodes unit cohesion in a very unique way."

Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden reversed the Trump administration policy and allowed transgender Americans to serve in the military. Biden established a policy that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in the military.

"What I'm doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform and essentially restoring the situation that used to be before, where transgender personnel — if qualified in every other way — can serve their government in the United States military," Biden said at the time.

Pence said he believes Biden's policies are harming military recruitment, which is at its lowest point in decades.

"I believe it affects recruitment," he said. "I believe all this politically correct nonsense that’s going on at the Pentagon is affecting recruitment in the United States military. We’ve got to get our military back to focusing on being the best trained and the best prepared military in the world."

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Pence is in the midst of a three-day campaign swing through Iowa. He spoke Friday night at the Republican Party of Iowa's annual Lincoln Dinner, where his line about banning transgender Americans from serving in the military earned him some of his loudest applause of the night.

Mike Pence 'closing in' on making the first GOP debate stage

Pence is the highest-profile candidate who has yet to secure a place on the first Republican presidential primary debate stage next month.

The Republican National Committee is requiring candidates to secure contributions from 40,000 donors, including 200 donors in at least 20 states and territories, before they'll be given a spot onstage. Candidates also have to receive at least 1% support in three national or early state polls.

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Pence has hit the polling criteria but is still short of the donor he needs.

"We’re closing in on it, and I’m confident we’ll be in the debate," Pence told reporters Saturday.

But he indicated he still has some distance to go to achieve the goal.

"I think we’re maybe a couple weeks away yet, based on the pace of things coming in," he said.

Pence said he's been focused on campaigning in early states rather than meeting the donor threshold.

"To be honest with you, the criteria of 40,000 donors being added to the requirement of being at a certain place in the polls is somewhat new," he said. "We accept that criteria. We’re confident we’ll get there. But our focus is not on reaching some arbitrary goal set by the Republican National Committee. It’s about telling our story here in Iowa."

Pence's next Iowa stop will be Sunday evening at the Clinton County GOP's Hog Roast in Clinton.

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Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mike Pence says allowing transgender military service 'makes no sense'