Trump’s First Anti-Trans Tweet Left Pentagon Officials Fearful He Was Announcing Strike On North Korea

Buzzfeed News reports:

At the Pentagon, the first of the three tweets raised fears that the president was getting ready to announce strikes on North Korea or some other military action. Many said they were left in suspense for nine minutes, the time between the first and second tweet. Only after the second tweet did military officials receive the news the president was announcing a personnel change on Twitter.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is on vacation this week, and defense officials said Mattis knew that Trump was considering the policy change. It is unclear if he approved it. Former Army Cpl. Laila Villanueva, a transgender woman who recently retired, told BuzzFeed News, “We’ve been spun into this whirlwind, and we’re doing our best to get accurate information.”