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George Takei's Response To Trump's Military Trans Ban Will Give You Chills

by Clarissa-Jan Lim
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The backlash against President Trump's ban on transgender people from serving in the military came in swift. Minutes after he tweeted that he would not "accept or allow" trans people in the military, George Takei blasted Trump on Twitter for his decision, calling him the "cruelest and pettiest" president.

Takei — who is no fan of Trump — also had remarks for those who thought he would be a friend to the LGBT community. "Time to admit you were conned," he tweeted. He added a word of warning to the president: "With your ban on trans people from the military, you are on notice that you just pissed off the wrong community. You will regret it."

The actor has emerged as one of Hollywood's fiercest critics of Trump since the early days of the election. Takei has called out Trump's xenophobic rhetoric on the campaign trail and his behavior with women, implored American voters against casting their ballots for Trump, and appeared on cable news to condemn Trump. The 79 year old, who grew up in internment camps in Arkansas and California as a child, spoke openly about the experience during the election; afterwards, he told The Los Angeles Times that he feels "a special responsibility to make sure this story is not forgotten.”

After Trump took office, Takei kept up his criticism. When Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and said that the world was "laughing" at the U.S., Takei had a scathing response at hand. When Trump gave his first address in Congress in February, Takei slammed his appointments and nominations.

"You can't be "a country united against hate" when your AG is a racist, your VP attacks LGBTs, and your top advisor is a White Nationalist," Takei tweeted then.

He similarly minced no words on Wednesday when Trump announced his ban. Takei retweeted former Vice President Joe Biden's statement that "Every patriotic American who is qualified to serve in our military should be able to serve. Full stop." He also called the ban a "new low."

Although Trump cited the "tremendous medical costs" of enlisting transgender people in the military, a RAND study from 2016 noted that the effect on the military's exorbitant budget would only amount to a 0.13 percent increase.

As Trump grapples with enforcing the ban — which the Pentagon reportedly did not sign off on before he announced it — in the months to come, Takei will likely remain one of its most ferocious critics.