President Trump Says He Has 'Great Respect' For the Trans Community

Despite issuing a full ban on transgender people in the U.S. military, President Trump still argues he has "great respect" for the trans community.

While on vacation today in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump gave his first remarks on the discriminatory ban since tweeting his decision last month. "I have great respect for the community," he said, "I think I've had great support, or I've had great support from that community. I got a lot of votes."

Related | Trump's Transgender Ban Estimated to Cost $960 Million

He continued, saying the miliary's been working hard on what he calls a "difficult" situation. "I'm doing a lot of people a favor by coming out and just saying it," he said. "It's been a very confusing issue for the military, and I think I'm doing the military a great favor."

A new study estimates that Trump's military ban would cost $960 million in the pursuit of saving only $8.4 million on annual medical costs for trans soldiers. The cost of recruiting and training replacements for 12,800 discharged trans soldiers would reportedly be 100 times more expensive than keeping things as is.