‘Top military planner’: Pentagon chief Hegseth slams judge for halting transgender ban, Elon Musk reacts with fire emoji

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently mocked the judge who blocked a ban on transgender troops in the US military and suggesting she had exceeded her authority.

US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington ruled that US President Donald Trump's January 27 executive order, targeting legal rights for transgender Americans, likely violated the US Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law.

In a post on social media platform X, Hegseth mockingly called the judge "Commander Reyes" and suggested she was abusing her power by making decisions about warfighting.

"Since 'Judge' Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids," Hegseth wrote.

“After that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare,” he added.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk reacted with fire emoji: "🔥🔥"

Reyes was appointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden.

Transgender people in military: What happened in court?

US federal judge Judge Ana C. Reyes had on Tuesday suspended the Trump administration's ban on transgender people serving in the military, citing the principle of equality and dealing a blow — if only temporary — to the US president's agenda.

President Donald Trump's late January order that excluded transgender people from the armed forces was suspended with Reyes referencing the US Declaration of Independence, which states that all humans are "created equal", AFP reported.

Trump's January 27 executive order stated that "expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service."

That suspension, however, will be put on pause until March 21 to give the government time to file an emergency stay at a higher court, according to Reyes' decision.

According to Reuters, plaintiffs in the lawsuit before Reyes argued the order was illegal, pointing to a 2020 US Supreme Court ruling that found that employment discrimination against transgender people is a form of illegal sex discrimination.

Lawyers for the administration have argued in court that the military is entitled to bar people with certain conditions that make them unsuitable for service, also including bipolar disorder and eating disorders.

The number of transgender people in the US military is estimated at about 15,000 out of around two million.

According to Reuters, the military said on February 11 it would no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and would stop performing or facilitating medical procedures associated with gender transition for service members.

Later that month, the military said it would begin expelling transgender members.

(With inputs from agencies)