AP Tweet Falsely Implies Pentagon Defied Trump’s Orders on Transgender Ban

A Monday tweet from the Associated Press falsely implied the Pentagon was defying President Donald Trump by allowing transgender people to serve in the military.

The AP got nearly 17,000 retweets for a "BREAKING" news tweet claiming the Pentagon will allow transgender people to enlist in the military "despite Trump's opposition."

The AP's framing led both Trump supporters and opponents to believe the Pentagon was willfully defying the president's order.

But the AP's tweet failed to disclose that the Pentagon didn't decide to allow transgender individuals in the military. The announcement was instead a result of a court order blocking Trump's ban until it can be properly litigated.

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