Majority Of Military Members Support Trump: Poll

A voluntary poll of active-duty military personnel shows that a majority of enlisted personnel have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump, while officers have a lower opinion of him. The September poll by the Military Times also showed some differences in support by gender and ethnicity. White men were more likely to support the president than women and minorities.

Overall, 44 percent of 1,130 troops surveyed in the September poll said they have favorable view of the president, while 40 percent have an unfavorable view. Almost 48 percent of enlisted personnel approve of the job Trump is doing, but only 30 percent of officers had favorable views. When they were specifically asked about the president’s handling of military policies, 55 percent of those surveyed gave him a favorable rating, while 26 percent gave him an unfavorable rating.

Among women, the president’s approval rating was only 32 percent, compared to 47 percent for men. Non-white service members also gave the president negative approval ratings: 51 percent said they had an unfavorable view of Trump, compared to 37 percent who said the opposite. The president’s support was greatest among Marines (59 percent favorable), and lowest among Navy sailors (49 percent unfavorable).

The Military Times poll contrasts with opinion polls that include civilians. An average of polls by Real Clear Politics earlier this month shows that 39 percent of Americans give the president a favorable job approval rating, while 56 percent disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.

The Military Times says its poll is scientific, and that the findings are based on voluntary, confidential online surveys completed by active U.S. Service members, who were asked questions focused on Trump’s time in the White House and national security issues. The poll had an error margin of 3 percent, the Military Times said.

Of those completing the survey, 86 percent were men and 14 percent were women. The respondents identified themselves as 76 percent white, 8 percent Hispanic, 9 percent African-American, 2 percent Asian and 5 percent other ethnicities. The mean age of respondents was 30.

The Military Times conducted the poll Sept. 7-25, before the controversy over presidential calls to military families whose loved ones have died in military action.

» See the full poll results on the Military Times.

Photo: President Donald Trump speaks to members of the U.S. Navy and shipyard workers on board the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 that is being built at Newport News shipbuilding, on March 2, 2017 in Newport News, Virginia. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images News/Getty Images)