Bill Kristol Slams Trump Over Transgender Military Ban: ‘He Thinks It’s a Dictatorship’

Right-leaning Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol has been a longtime Never Trump-er. But following the announcement of the transgender military ban, Kristol ratcheted up his criticism to a whole new level.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace, Kristol lashed out at Trump over the ban, stating that he believes it offers a disturbing look at how Donald Trump views the presidency.

“[The ban] shows deeply, though, he thinks it’s a dictatorship,” Kristol said. “He thinks he wakes up, decides that we should expel 2,400 people from the military. And that that’s gonna happen. As if there’s no uniform code of military justice, there aren’t ways that you have to discharge people, that people don’t have rights… The transgender thing in a way is very small, but it’s deeply revealing about Trump, I think.”

Beyond Trump fancying himself a dictator, in Kristol’s view, the Weekly Standard editor believes that the ban prevents the country from being able to have a civil debate.

“I’m so infuriated by it,” Kristol said. “Because there are complicated issues about women in combat, presumably whether you should pay for certain operations. Those have been debated, I would say actually, pretty seriously, and in a pretty dignified way by the country over the last six, seven, eight years.. and then he gets up and tweets this totally irresponsible and crazy thing.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.

[featured image via screengrab]

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