On Wednesday's CNN Tonight, host Don Lemon declared that President Donald Trump's announced policy of barring transgenders from serving in the military would be a "return to the dark ages." He then proceeded to command over two panels on the subject in which each panel featured just one right-leaning guest to defend the policy up against two liberal guests plus host Lemon to advocate the liberal view.
In the first segment, the CNN host even made a point of linking his right-leaning guest to the Trump campaign without noting that his two liberal guests had links to President Barack Obama's tenure.
As Lemon introduced the first segment, he read from Trump's tweet on the subject which alluded to high medical costs for transgenders as a factor in barring them from military service. Lemon defiantly responded:
That's what the President says, so this is the truth. This is from a 2016 RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Defense Department, and it says, out of a 1.3 million-member force, the number of transgender people in the military is between 1,320 and 6,630. The study estimated that treatments for transgender treatment for gender transition could cost the military up to $8.4 million annually. Meanwhile, the military reportedly spends $41.6 million a year on Viagra and $22.8 million on Cialis.
As the money spent on Viagra and Cialis was likely spread out over a much greater number of individuals, Lemon did not make any mention of whether the money spent for transgenders per person was perhaps substantially greater. The CNN host then bemoaned:
So this is not about the cost of treatment -- it's about politics, appealing to the conservative base. The Twitter directive won't change who people are or who they were born to be. It's nothing but a return to the dark ages of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But hasn't America moved beyond that?
Lemon then introduced his three guests for the segment:
Here to discuss now, Lieutenant Commander Steven Rogers, who was a senior military intelligence officer with the Navy. He was a member of Trump's campaign committee. Also with me, CNN military and diplomatic analyst Rear Admiral John Kirby, and military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. ... General Hertling, the President treated this major policy change, apparently with little warning to the military, and you and Admiral Kirby wrote an op-ed tonight, and let me just read a bit of it, okay?
Not mentioned was that Kirby served in the Obama administration State Department, and that Hertling also had links to President Obama. And, while Lemon gave his two more liberal guests an uninterrupted forum to make their case attacking the Trump plan, he debated the right-leaning Rogers when it was his turn to defend the decision.
After Lemon challenged Rogers on the issue of whether transgenders are a significant financial cost of the military, the two went further went back and forth:
ROGERS: We come from different parts of the country, and unfortunately -- and you know this -- there are people who still discriminate, who still call names, who still persecute...
LEMON: But that doesn't make it right. We shouldn't allow that to fester. Why are you allowing discrimination to fester just because someone else is uncomfortable with it? Someone else may be uncomfortable with my blackness in America, but that doesn't make me less of an American or less fit to serve in the military if I choose to do so.
ROGERS: He's talking about combat readiness. It's not discrimination. It's costing money, it's taking time ... (inaudible)
LEMON: But if a transgendered person is not up to the task, then they should not serve in the military. If they go through basic training and they cannot pass basic training, then they should not be allowed to serve in the military like everyone else. But the qualifications should not be on one's gender.
After a commercial break, Lemon set up another 2-1 segment that included Democratic strategist Keith Boykin, socially liberal Republican Margaret Hoover, and George W. Bush administration official Scott Jennings. The segment was soon interrupted by breaking news to focus on a tweet by incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Wednesday, July 26, CNN Tonight.
DON LEMON: President Trump shocking his own military commanders today with a series of tweets barring transgender people from serving their country in the military. Quote:
"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 burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail."
That's what the President says, so this is the truth. This is from a 2016 RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Defense Department, and it says, out of a 1.3 million-member force, the number of transgender people in the military is between 1,320 and 6,630. The study estimated that treatments for transgender treatment for gender transition could cost the military up to $8.4 million annually. Meanwhile, the military reportedly spends $41.6 million a year on Viagra and $22.8 million on Cialis.
So this is not about the cost of treatment -- it's about politics, appealing to the conservative base. The Twitter directive won't change who people are or who they were born to be. It's nothing but a return to the dark ages of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But hasn't America moved beyond that?
Here to discuss now, Lieutenant Commander Steven Rogers, who was a senior military intelligence officer with the Navy. He was a member of Trump's campaign committee. Also with me, CNN military and diplomatic analyst Rear Admiral John Kirby, and military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. ... General Hertling, the President treated this major policy change, apparently with little warning to the military, and you and Admiral Kirby wrote an op-ed tonight, and let me just read a bit of it, okay?
(...)
So, General Hertling why do you think the President decided to make such a change right out of the blue?
(...)
When I hear "social experiment" and I hear "cultural change," with all due respect, Commander, we heard that about diversity in the military, about desegregation, about the military being segregated. We heard that about gays and lesbians, we heard that about women in combat roles that it's a social experiment. It's not a social experiment -- this is America. And it has nothing to do with combat readiness. If a transgender person is not up to the task, they won't be accepted like anyone else.
(...)
Transgender people have been in the military since the military has existed, since the existence of this country. There are countries who have transgender people in their military, and they're not seeing any harmful effects of it.
(...)
LEMON: As I said, when I introduced you, though, he said that it was because of the expenses of --
RETIRED LIEUTENANT COMMANDER STEVEN ROGERS, TRUMP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE: As well, yes.
LEMON: But that's not true.
ROGERS: Well, it is true, Don. Think about this. I talked to a transgender person just this morning, knowing that I was coming on here, and they talked about the costs, right? Well, there's going to be an impact on a lot of things. For example, there'll be some therapy. There'll be some after, you know, healing of the physical and the emotional wounds. Transgender people, they go through pretty much of a tough time, I think.
LEMON: But so do our men and women who are heterosexual who come back from war.
ROGERS: We come from different parts of the country, and unfortunately -- and you know this -- there are people who still discriminate, who still call names, who still persecute...
LEMON: But that doesn't make it right. We shouldn't allow that to fester. Why are you allowing discrimination to fester just because someone else is uncomfortable with it? Someone else may be uncomfortable with my blackness in America, but that doesn't make me less of an American or less fit to serve in the military if I choose to do so.
ROGERS: He's talking about combat readiness. It's not discrimination. It's costing money, it's taking time ... (inaudible)
LEMON: But if a transgendered person is not up to the task, then they should not serve in the military. If they go through basic training and they cannot pass basic training, then they should not be allowed to serve in the military like everyone else. But the qualifications should not be on one's gender.
