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Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is breaking with President Donald Trump over his new directive to bar transgender people from the military.

"I'm not going to defend President Trump on this issue," the Republican governor said Thursday during his monthly news conference on KUED-TV.

"People ought to be treated fairly with equality — and that includes the gay community, the LGBTQ" community.

He added he did not understand the president's reasoning for the new directive, and, "I feel no compunction to defend Trump's tweeting, and some of the things he says."

That comes a day after Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, dropped his normal defense of Trump and his tweets.

"I don't think we should be discriminating against anyone," Hatch said in a statement on Twitter. "Transgender people are people, and deserve the best we can do for them."

Also, Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, tweeted Wednesday, "All those who are fit for #military service should be allowed to serve. To all those who have already chosen to serve, thank you."

The president tweeted Wednesday that after consulting military generals and experts, the United States "will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military."

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender [sic] in the military would entail," Trump said in separate tweets.

The Pentagon seemed to be unprepared for the dramatic policy switch and was unable to answer questions about it, according to The Associated Press.