Goodbye Canadian Oil – President Trump Announces “Biggest Oil Deal in World” with Venezuela

August 28, 2026 | sundance |

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has quietly been the lead on this initiative. The discussions with Venezuela were working along slowly in the background as the negotiations with Canada on trade were proceeding. Today, Canadian oil is replaced.

BREAKING NEWS: The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY! At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer.

This Historic Transaction MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves, greatly increases our Oil Supply, and will substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future, while helping to continue to set Venezuela on a course toward Tremendous Success and Great Prosperity. This Transaction will greatly strengthen the already growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States! Thank you for your attention to this groundbreaking matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

~President DONALD J. TRUMP

No need for President Trump to mention Canada, the message is clear.We can now reverse those north-south pipelinesand pump heavy Venezuela crude oil north into U.S. refineries for transition into Canadian fuel.

If the USA no longer needs oil from Canada, but Canada relies on fuel from the USA…. Well, how does that energy leverage work out?

Danielle Smith has no idea what’s coming.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/28/goodbye-canadian-oil-president-trump-announces-biggest-oil-deal-in-world-with-venezuela/

(Did Canada really underestimate President Donald J Trump? That was their biggest mistake!)

MSNBC contributor tries to corner Byron Donalds on measles and demands to know if he vaxxes his kids.

His answer left her looking stupid. And Bill Maher even piled on at the end.

MOLLY JONG-FAST: “You’ve had to say some stuff. Like last week on Margaret Brennan’s show, you said rampant illegal immigration was the cause for this measles outbreak and not not being vaccinated. I’m curious. Like, I have three kids. You have three kids. Do you not vaccinate your kids?”

BYRON DONALDS: “My oldest son is 23 years old. The vaccination schedule for him was less intense than the vaccination schedule for my 15-year-old son. And if you have talked to my mom, the vaccination schedule for me, being 47 years old, was not nearly as intense as it is for newborns today.

“So I think there are parents, there are mothers who have real concerns about the frequency of vaccines for young infants into just being a toddler. And so I think the order that came out the other day from the White House was, well, let’s just spread the vaccination schedule back out. Let parents have an ability to make those decisions for their children with informed consent. And then the last piece is, let’s also make sure that the human body in its infancy can actually manage the amount of vaccines that are being put into their child. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

BILL MAHER: “I don’t either.”

JONG-FAST: “We have people dying of measles. We had two people in Ohio die of measles. We were almost eradicated from measles and now we have measles again, and there’s a reason for that. And the idea that you said illegal immigration causes—”

DONALDS: “Under the previous administration, more than 10 million people came into the country illegally, and I know for a fact, just like everybody else — you can read your notes too — they weren’t checking their vaccination schedules coming into the United States. That’s a fact. That’s number one.

“Number two, there was a measles outbreak in a couple of the detention facilities on the southern border. There was a measles outbreak in El Paso, Texas. There was also one in Chicago at another illegal immigration facility. Those are the facts.

“So when you let that many people come into your country, when we already know in other countries they don’t have the vaccination schedule that we have, and then when the Department of Health and Human Services is talking about American children, now you’re finding fault with vaccination schedules for American children? I don’t think that’s an accurate way to look at it.”

MAHER: “I had measles as a kid. I loved it. I was home for two weeks. I ate ice cream every day.”

CDC schedule, 1983: 11 vaccine doses.

CDC schedule, 2024: 70+ vaccine doses.

https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/2093548355787853969

Libs of TikTok

@libsoftiktok

Hasan Piker: “I have no problem with the Houthis… If you think I’m a terrorism supporter for that reason, then yeah, I’m a f*cking terrorism supporter.”

Welp… there you have

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2093396362700173369

White South Africans could get $4,500 in aid if they come to U.S. as refugees

The assistance, which helps pay for basic needs such as housing and food, would nearly double under a new policy.

White South Africans who come to the United States as refugees could get up to $4,500 per person in initial federal support beginning Oct. 1, nearly double the current amount, four people familiar with the change in policy told The Washington Post.

The assistance — up from about $2,400 — would be the highest level to date, one of the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.

President Donald Trump froze refugee admissions from around the world after taking office in 2025. But weeks later, he launched a program to bring South Africans of European-descended Afrikaner ethnicity into the U.S. as refugees.

The boost in taxpayer-funded aid would hypothetically be available to any incoming refugees, but South Africans have made up more than 99 percent of refugee arrivals this year.

Trump said Afrikaners suffer violent persecution in majority-Black South Africa, a claim South Africa’s government vehemently denies.

The federal aid goes to resettlement groups to pay for housing, food and other basic needs. Unspent funds go to the refugee in cash.

The refugee office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the program, did not respond to a request for comment.

https://archive.ph/YO5vi#selection-307.0-311.113

NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: PETE HEGSETH IS TALKING ABOUT A POSSIBLE RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028, SOURCES SAY

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The defense secretary has floated a White House run with close friends and associates, two people said. And Hegseth sparked speculation with an event in Iowa this month.

NBCNews.com story by Courtney Kube, Peter Nicholas and Matt Dixon

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, have floated the idea of a presidential run for the past few months, believing he has some of the same attributes that have made Donald Trump popular with the MAGA movement, the people said. Trump’s core voters appreciate Hegseth’s toughness, defiance and conservative stance on social issues, they said.

Hegseth’s appearance at the Iowa State Fair on behalf of a Republican congressman earlier this month kindled both surprise and speculation about his possible presidential ambitions.

Iowa has long been a springboard for presidential campaigns. The state’s caucuses have traditionally come first in the nominating calendar, making Iowa a magnet for presidential hopefuls.

“Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his main priority is leading the War Department. All other speculation is foolish,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Asked to comment on Hegseth’s potential interest in a presidential bid, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “After Joe Biden’s Pentagon prioritized DEI and woke ideology, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth quickly reversed course and restored a Department of War that is focused on readiness, lethality and supporting our warfighters. Secretary Hegseth is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon, and his results speak for themselves.”

A former Fox News host, Hegseth is one of the Cabinet members who’s been deployed on the campaign trail to mobilize Trump voters ahead of the midterm elections in November.

At the fair, he wore jeans and a button-down shirt with sleeves rolled up as he campaigned for Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and touted what he described as a transformation in the military.

“At the Department of War, we do training, not ‘trannies,’” said Hegseth, using a derogatory term for transgender people. “It is a day-and-night difference. Training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness — the bedrock of what it means to be an American warrior is the only focus of our department.”

https://t.e2ma.net/message/co0z8j/8clp0hnc

>>24985410

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Hegseth’s presentation, delivered with the practiced cadence of a onetime media personality, resonates with male Trump voters, in particular, said a Republican operative involved in midterm races who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the strategic considerations.

“Hegseth is good for men, for base voters,” the operative said. “He encapsulates that masculinity that Trump captured in 2024.”

The Republican field figures to be crowded in 2028, Trump’s last full year in office. If Hegseth runs, he could potentially face two of the most senior figures in Trump’s administration: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Pete Hegseth should consider running for president,” Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said in an interview. “He’s an impressive guy and has a tremendous amount of energy.”

The defense secretary job has never been a pipeline to the presidency. Though some renowned historical figures have held the post — notably George Marshall, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work rebuilding Europe after World War II — no defense secretary has made the leap to commander in chief.

Inevitably, Hegseth would face scrutiny over the unpopular Iran war. A Fox News poll in July found 34% of registered voters approved of the president’s handling of Iran, with 66% disapproving.

The conflict has caused gas prices to spike from an average of less than $3 a gallon to just over $4. Eighteen American service members have died. And Iran has shown that it can disrupt the global economy by firing at ships crossing the narrow Strait of Hormuz as the war grinds on with no clear end in sight.

“MAGA really loves Hegseth because they love the cut of his jib. But you’ve got to deliver the goods. If you want to be secretary of war, you’ve got to win wars,” said a pro-Trump operative close to the White House.

Another vulnerability could be an episode last year dubbed “Signalgate.” A Defense Department inspector general report found that Hegseth had “sent sensitive, nonpublic, operational information that he determined did not require classification over the Signal chat on his personal cell phone.” The information involved a pending military strike on Houthi forces in Yemen.

https://t.e2ma.net/message/co0z8j/8clp0hnc

>>24985413

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The report also found that “the Secretary’s actions created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots.”

In a social media post about the findings, Hegseth wrote: “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report.”

In May, Hegseth traveled to Kentucky to campaign for the primary opponent of a sitting Republican congressman who has drawn Trump’s ire, Rep. Thomas Massie. Massie, a critic of the Iran war, went on to lose the primary fight to Ed Gallrein, who secured Trump’s endorsement.

Three former defense secretaries, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel and William Cohen told NBC News that Hegseth has made the sort of partisan political appearances that they purposely eschewed.

Hagel, who served as defense secretary under Obama and before that was a Republican senator from Nebraska, said in an interview, “My God, we’re at war. We’ve got a huge problem. We’ve got a global issue here that we’ve gotten ourselves into with this mess, and what are you doing going to Iowa and campaigning when you should be paying attention to your job?”

Asked for comment about Hegseth’s political travels, a Pentagon official said: “Department staff are not involved in, nor privy to, the details of events that Secretary Hegseth attends in his personal capacity. Therefore, we have no comment.”

A watchdog group called Democracy Forward sent a letter to the Defense Department’s inspector general in May questioning whether Hegseth’s Kentucky trip ran afoul of the department’s policy meant to preserve “the non-partisan character of our military.”

In a written reply the following month, the inspector general’s office said that Hegseth “wrote his own speech” and attended in his “own personal capacity rather than an official one.” The White House had approved Hegseth’s campaign appearance, the inspector general’s letter said.

Who here thinks Hegseth will have much support?I don’t! This will be a Vance/Rubio contest!

https://t.e2ma.net/message/co0z8j/8clp0hnc

Trump picks new leader of agency overseeing construction of White House ballroom, DC arch

Aug. 26, 2026, 4:05 p.m. ET.1/2

WASHINGTON — President Trump has selected a new chairman to lead the federal agency charged with supervising major DC-area development projects — including oversight of the under-construction White House ballroomand the proposed triumphal arch along the Potomac River.

Mark Paoletta,appointed Wednesday by Trump to be chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, already holds four other jobs in the administration, including serving as general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

He replaces Will Scharf, who is transitioning into his new role as White House counsel.

Paoletta is known for his loyalty to Trump, including through his years in political exile. He is one of very few administration officials, alongside OMB Director Russ Vought, who returned last year to the same post as he held in Trump’s first term.

“I am honored to be appointed by President Trump to serve as Chairman of the NCPC,” Paoletta said.

“President Trump has transformed DC into a Capital worthy of the greatest nation in history. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to further the president’s historic restoration and beautification of the National Capital Region, especially in the 250th year of our country’s independence.”

As is the case with other prominent administration officials — most notably Secretary of State Marco Rubio — Paoletta has been entrusted with a growing portfolio of management roles.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/26/us-news/trump-picks-new-leader-of-agency-overseeing-construction-of-white-house-ballroom-dc-arch/

>>24985430

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He also serves as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which the Trump administration has attempted to shrink or shutter, and as chief legal officer of USAID, which was all-but dismantled and rolled into the State Department last year, though it technically has not been abolished.

In addition, he is performing the duties of administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the federal office that reviews proposed regulations.

Paoletta has a long history in conservative legal circles and is a friend of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, whose 1991 nomination he helped guide as an assistant counsel to President George HW Bush.

His work at the NCPC will touch a wide range of proposed projects in the DC area, from shepherding the under-review arch near the Lincoln Memorial and overseeing security upgrades to Lafayette Park north of the White House to more mundane matters like alleyway access.

Other projects within the board’s oversight include the controversial ongoing Federal Reserve building renovation, a possible expansion of the National Zoo and the replacement of the former RFK stadium with an arena for DC’s professional football team.

Scharf, the outgoing chairman, became nationally well-known as Trump’s staff secretary, giving concise on-camera descriptions of the impact of various policy changes being adopted before Trump would sign the orders in the Oval Office.

Paoletta appears less frequently on camera, but joined Trump in February to announce the rollback of a regulation that underpins federal greenhouse gas restrictions, declaring: “This is the model of the Trump administration: everyone working together, mission aligned.”

https://nypost.com/2026/08/26/us-news/trump-picks-new-leader-of-agency-overseeing-construction-of-white-house-ballroom-dc-arch/

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

BREAKING NEWS: The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY! At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer. This Historic Transaction MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves, greatly increases our Oil Supply, and will substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future, while helping to continue to set Venezuela on a course toward Tremendous Success and Great Prosperity. This Transaction will greatly strengthen the already growing relationship between Venezuela and the United States! Thank you for your attention to this groundbreaking matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP

8/28/26, 6:47 PM

Aug 27, 2026 -

Politics & Policy

Scoop: U.S. close to striking "massive" deal for Venezuelan oil fields. 1/2

The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela's interim government about taking an ownership stake in the South American country's enormous oil resources, two U.S. officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The historic deal would more than double U.S. oil reserves by drawing from a country that has the world's largest proven reserves.

"Calling this deal huge would be an understatement," one of the officials said. "It is massive."

Adding pressure to get the deal signed: the wars in Iran and Ukraine, which have disrupted global oil supplies and raised prices.

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now at a 40-year low.

Zoom in: Details are still being hammered out, but the discussions involve more than a dozen productive oil fields — not all of Venezuela's 300 billion barrels of proven reserves.

The fields in question, which have 90 billion barrels of proven reserves, used to be controlled by former Venezuelan insiders — including some who've been indicted — as well as interests once controlled by China, the official said.

In return for giving the U.S. an ownership stake, Venezuela's government would benefit from private companies, including American firms, developing the fields and returning more oil revenue to that country.

Zoom out:The Venezuelan oil deal would be a legacy-defining moment for President Trump, who has made U.S. energy security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere pillars of his so-called "Donroe Doctrine."

"President Trump is close to securing America's energy future for generations to come,not just in the U.S. but in the hemisphere," a second official said.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/27/trump-venezuela-oil-deal-talks

>>24985457

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Trump began privately discussing ways to have an ownership stake in Venezuelan oil fields even before he authorized the Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in New York.

Venezuela's oil sector fell into a relative state of disrepair because of the legacy of socialist mismanagement by Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, after he took over in 1999.

Behind the scenes:The talks have been spearheaded by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez.

Last month, top officials from the State and Defense departments met with their counterparts in Caracas to discuss more of the specifics.

Deputy White House Chief of StaffStephen Milleris also playing a major role.

The administration is sensitive to accusations that Rodriguez would be giving away Venezuela's natural resources to the U.S., one official said, so "we're going out of our way to show how this will benefit the people of Venezuela, because it will."

What's next: The exact timing for finalizing the deal is unclear, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been discussing plans to go to Venezuela next week as his department discusses ways to increase oil production by U.S. firms.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say that the Venezuela oil fields in question have proven reserves of 90 billion barrels of oil, rather than that they produce 90 million barrels a day.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/27/trump-venezuela-oil-deal-talks

Biology doesn’t lie’: Miss Universe Australia takes stand against trans athletes in women's sport

Miss Universe Australia 2026 winner Caity Worthington says “human biology does not lie,” as the Brisbane radiographer backs a ban on transgender athletes in women's sport.

3:02

https://youtu.be/1-QkqsVGxeU

Tigers, jaguars, bison among 135 exotic and endangered animals found in raid on fuel smugglers near U.S. border

Updated on: August 28, 2026 /1/2

Mexican authorities said Thursday that they had rescued Bengal tigers, mandrills, hyenas and even a camel during raids on a fuel smuggling ring in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, on the U.S. border.

The 135 animals found at a ranch also included lions, buffalo, sulcata tortoises, spider monkeys, jaguars, an American bison and a green macaw.

Thirty-five of the animals, including the green macaw and sulcata tortoise, are classified as endangered species.

Mexican authorities regularly rescue exotic animals from properties owned by wealthy drug traffickers. Some Mexican drug cartels are known to house exotic cats as symbols of power and, occasionally, to dispose of their enemies. According to a 2023 U.S. indictment, some victims of a Sinaloa cartel faction were "fed dead or alive to tigers."

On this occasion, however, the military found them during an operation targeting fuel smugglers

Smuggling gasoline and diesel from the United States into Mexico and reselling it tax-free is a huge money-maker for organized crime gangs, including drug cartels.

During these latest raids on five properties, the military seized 18,000 gallons of diesel, fuel tanks, pumps, firearms, and tools.

One person was arrested.

Mexican authorities cracked down on fuel smuggling in 2025, when high-ranking navy officers and officials were implicated in the illegal trade.

Some 10 billion liters of black market fuel were seized at that time in Tamaulipas.

The attorney general's office on Thursday formally charged Fernando Farias, a high-ranking officer who was expelled last week from Argentina, with fuel smuggling.

A former governor of Tamaulipas, Ernesto Ruffo, was also recently arrested on charges of fuel theft.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exotic-endangered-animals-found-raid-fuel-smugglers-mexico/

>>24985501

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Fuel smuggling a growing problem

Fuel theft — more commonly known as huachicol in Mexico — has risen to the second most profitable revenue stream for Mexican cartels behind drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Treasury.

U.S. officials allege that some cartel members steal fuel and crude oil from Pemex by bribing insiders, tapping pipelines, siphoning refineries, hijacking tanker trucks, and intimidating employees.

The stolen fuel is then sold across Mexico, the United States and Central America, while crude oil is smuggled north via complicit brokers — frequently disguised as "waste oil" to evade taxes and environmental scrutiny, the U.S. Treasury discovered.

Once inside the United States, the oil is then funneled to unscrupulous importers along the southwest border, sold at deep discounts on U.S. and global markets with proceeds quietly funneled back to the cartels.

U.S. authorities have even accused the Jalisco New Generation cartel of operating its own service stations.

The United States has been cracking down. In June, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on two Mexican men and nine companies involved in transportation, financial services and real estate, accused of being tied to a cartel-linked fuel theft ring.

In December, the Treasury Department imposedsanctions on a violent Mexican fuel-theft cartel and its imprisoned leader, nicknamed "The Sledgehammer."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/exotic-endangered-animals-found-raid-fuel-smugglers-mexico/

White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172K for placing prediction market bets on Trump’s speeches

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the penalties for Gabriel Perez, who made the bets through Kalshi.

By Phil Helsel

A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump who made online prediction tradesbased on information from upcoming speeches has been ordered to pay $172,000, a federal agency said Friday night.

Gabriel Perez used “material, nonpublic information” he obtained through his job to place “trades” on a prediction market, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a news release.

Perez was ordered to pay the money he made in profits, $107,539.02, as well as a civil penalty of $65,000.

He’s also banned from trading on prediction markets for three years, the CFTC said.

Perez made the trades through Kalshi. The CFTC said Kalshi assisted in the matter.

“A Kalshi surveillance investigation caught a White House staffer engaging in prohibited trading activity. Today this individual was subjected to penalties by the CFTC and by our exchange,” Bobby DeNault, Kalshi’s lead lawyer, said in a post on X.

“It doesn’t matter who you are: violate our rules or federal law and you will face the consequences,” he added.

The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday night. Perez could not be reached for comment.

The CFTC called it a case of insider trading, adding that Perez traded “presidential mention market contracts, which are event contracts reflecting words or phrases the President may use during his speeches.”

Perez was a technical assistant to the president who had served as a teleprompter operator for Trump since 2016.

The CFTC cited what it called Perez’s “exemplary cooperation” in the case when announcing the fine and penalties Friday.

Then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in July called the online trades a breach of ethics and “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.”

Perez was placed on leave in July and Leavitt said at the time that “this individual will no longer be here.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-teleprompter-operator-ordered-pay-172k-prediction-bets-kalshi-rcna594976

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to consider ban on transgender persons in the military

amy-howe thumbnail

By

Amy Howe.1/2

Aug 28, 2026

The Trump administration on Friday askedthe Supreme Court to weigh in on whether a ban on transgender service members in the military violates the Constitution. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called a decision by a federal appeals court that barred the government from enforcing the ban “gravely erroneous.” “If allowed to stand,” Sauer told the justices, the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit “would represent an ‘unprecedented intervention into military affairs,’ in contravention of this Court’s precedents requiring ‘defer[ence] to the political branches’ military judgments.”

The Trump administration adopted the policy last year, shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term.Trump signed an executive order that required Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to put into effect a ban on “individuals with gender dysphoria.”

On Feb. 26, the Department of Defense issued that ban, which generally disqualifies anyone who either has gender dysphoria or has undergone medical interventions to treat gender dysphoria from serving in the military.The department explained that “the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”

A group of transgender people who either currently serve in the U.S. military or want to serve in the military challenged the ban in federal court in Washington, D.C., arguing that the policy violates their constitutional right to fair treatment by the government. The policy, they contended, is based on “animosity toward transgender people” because they are transgender and does not serve any real government purpose.

On March 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued an order that temporarily prohibited the Trump administration from implementing the ban. She agreed with the challengers that the ban is “soaked in animus” and does not serve any legitimate government interest. “Its language,” she wrote, “is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact.”

The Trump administration appealed to the D.C. Circuit, which issued an administrative stay – a pause to keep Reyes’ order on hold until that court could rule on the dispute.

In May 2025, the Supreme Court temporarily froze an order by a federal judge in a different challenge, filed in Washington state, that had barred the government from implementing the policy anywhere in the United States. That case is still pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

On June 1, 2026, a divided three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit upheld part of Reyes’ order, holding that the government could not enforce the ban against the challengers who were already in the military.

Judge Robert Wilkins found “direct evidence” that the ban was motivated by animosity towards transgender people. He wrote that the policy’s “foundational premises” are “animus-filled”: It rests on the idea that “persons with a ‘false gender identity’ are unfit for the military, and persons with a history of gender dysphoria are also unfit because they lack ‘honesty, humility, … and integrity.”

In the Trump administration’s petition on Friday seeking review of the D.C. Circuit’s decision, Sauer told the justices that the case involved “an issue of exceptional and recurring importance”: “the authority of the federal government to determine who may serve in the Nation’s armed forces.” Here, he wrote, “the military has determined” that the policy “is necessary to maintain its ‘rigorous standards’ and ‘deliver a ready, deployable force.’

Sauer also contended that the lower court applied an overly stringent standard, known as heightened scrutiny, in concluding that the ban violates the Constitution. He stressed that a less exacting standard, known as rational basis review, should apply because the policy doesn’t discriminate against transgender people but instead “classifi[es] based on a medical condition (gender dysphoria).” Under rational basis review, he said, the government is only required to show that there are “‘plausible reasons’” for its actions, which there are: “the government has undisputedly legitimate interests in maintaining military readiness, cohesion, and good order and discipline, as well as in managing the military’s costs.”

The challengers’ response to the petition will be due in approximately one month.

https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/08/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-consider-ban-on-transgender-persons-in-the-military/