President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, and late Wednesday it drew backlash from a “Tonight Show correspondent," who is a transgender comedian.
After introducing news of the ban to his audience, host Jimmy Fallon welcomed Patti Harrison to offer her opinion and take on president’s decision.
And she held nothing back.
“As a trans person, it’s hard to articulate exactly how I feel,” Harrison told Fallon. “But I guess if I had to describe it I’d say, ‘Donald you’re so stupid. You are so stupid -- you're lucky you're so hot.'”
Earlier Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to announce a major policy change in the U.S. military, saying that "the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military."
He reasoned that the government "cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail," though studies have refuted those claims.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, said Thursday in a memo to all military service chiefs, commanders and enlisted military leaders that there will be no modifications" for now to current policy allowing all transgender people to serve openly. Nothing will change until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis receives the president's "direction" then issues "implementation guidance," he said.
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While talking with Fallon, Harrison said that perhaps the president just isn’t well-informed about the LGBTQ community.
“I don’t even think Trump knows what transgender means,” she said. “He probably thinks transgender people are those cars that turn into robots.”
The comedian then defended the “amazingly brave trans people” who should be able to join the military, as well as those who are already serving or who have in the past. She gave a shoutout to Kristin Beck, a retired Navy SEAL who served for 22 years and earned numerous medals, including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
Harrison concluded by challenging Trump’s notion that transgender service members cause a disruption in the armed forces.
“I get it,” she said. “If you constantly draw attention to yourself, spend all day distracting everyone and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, the perfect job for you isn’t the military, it’s the president of the United States.”