"What'd you think of my tweet?" the president asked Priebus later. "I think it would've been better if we had a decision memo, looped Mattis in," Priebus answered. Mattis was not happy with Trump's decision to tweet the news and the effect it would have on serving and deployed transgender troops. On vacation in the Pacific Northwest, he was caught by surprise. The confusion played out in the press, with a Pentagon spokesman calling the Trump tweet "new guidance." Trump spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "The president's national security team" was consulted and that Trump had made the decision the day before and "informed" Mattis immediately after. Several White House officials told the press that Mattis was consulted before the announcement and knew Trump was considering it. Bannon knew that the generals, though hard-line on defense, had become progressive on social issues. "The Marine Corps is a progressive institution," Bannon said. "Dunford, Kelly and Mattis are the three biggest. They're more progressive than Gary Cohn and Kushner." The commandant of the Coast Guard said publicly, "I will not break faith" with transgender members of his service. Dunford sent a letter to the service chiefs: "There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President's direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance." In short, tweets were not orders. "In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect... we will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions."