President Trump visits sailors onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford on March 3, 2017. (Screen grab from YouTube)

(CNSNews.com) - Undoing more of the Obama agenda, President Trump on Wednesday tweeted a major announcement on transgenders in the military:



"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow..........Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.........victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you"

The announcement was brief, but the reaction is likely to produce fury among LGBT groups, relief in other quarters, and strong opinions all around.

The brief announcement came in three tweets.

The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement, calling Trump's transgender ban "an outrageous and desperate action."

"The thousands of transgender service members serving on the front lines for this country deserve better than a commander-in-chief who rejects their basic humanity,

Joshua Block, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project, said.

"This has been studied extensively, and the consensus is clear: There are no cost or military readiness drawbacks associated with allowing trans people to fight for their country. The president is trying to score cheap political points on the backs of military personnel who have put their lives on the line for their country.

“There is no basis for turning trans people away from our military and the ACLU is examining all of our options on how to fight this. For any trans service member affected by today’s announcement: Please get in touch with us, because we want to hear from you,” Block said.

The Human Rights Campaign said the decision shows Trump is "unpatriotic" and "unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.

"He has put a target on the backs of the more than 15,000 transgender troops proudly serving in our military,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “This heinous and disgusting action endangers the lives of American service members, undermines military readiness and makes our country less safe. It is also the latest effort by Trump and Mike Pence to undo our progress and drag LGBTQ people back into the closet by using our lives as political pawns.”



HRC said the decision will undermine "military morale and readiness." HRC also quoted a "Trump administration official" as saying the policy reversal will force Democrats up for re-election in rust belt states to take a stand on the controversial issue.

Tom Perez, chairman of the Democrat National Committee, tweeted: "To the members of the transgender community: You are not a 'burden.' Do not let this president shake you. We support you, we stand with you."

But the conservative American Family Association said it "applauds" Trump "for his courageous decision to end the usage of our military for social engineering and political correctness."

AFA President Tim Wildmon issued a statement saying, "American families deserve a military that is focused solely on readiness and national defense."