According to a poll published in MilitaryTimes, Trump’s approval among active military has fallen. Fewer personnel are neutral while Trump’s support is strongest among enlisted men while being lowest among officers, women and minorities.
In the last week, Trump’s failure to visit troops in a war zone has become an issue. Obama visited troops in Iraq within the first 3 months of his presidency. Presidential trips to combat zones help boost morale and reminds civilians at home about conflicts where our country has troops in harms way.
Senator Jack Reed, top Democrat on Armed Services Committee, has called for Trump to get off his duff and go visit a combat zone. "I think it should be done," Reed said. "It's not just to get an idea what is going on, but to personally thank the men and women of the United States who are exposing themselves to great dangers for the country."
Support for Trump is fading among active-duty troops, new poll shows
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s approval rating among active-duty military personnel has slipped over the last two years, leaving today’s troops evenly split over whether they’re happy with the commander in chief’s job performance, according to the results of a new Military Times poll of active-duty service members.
About 44 percent of troops had a favorable view of Trump’s presidency, the poll showed, compared to 43 percent who disapproved.
The results from the survey, conducted over the course of September and October, suggest a gradual decline in troops’ support of Trump since he was elected in fall 2016, when a similar Military Times poll showed that 46 percent of troops approved of Trump compared to 37 percent who disapproved. That nine-point margin of support now appears gone.
During that same period, the number of neutral respondents has dwindled from almost 17 percent to about 13 percent, suggesting political polarization inside the military community has intensified in recent years.
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The new survey results also show sharp divides within the ranks. Enlisted men show Trump the most overwhelming support. Military women, meanwhile, have a much harsher view of Trump’s time in office. Officers still have a lower opinion of his presidency than enlisted troops.
www.militarytimes.com/...
Trump talks tough about the military, but he hasn't visited a war zone where US troops are fighting — unlike his predecessors
President Donald Trump repeatedly portrays himself as a gung-ho supporter of the US military, but over a year and a half into his tenure the president has yet to visit American troops in a war zone.
Since Trump took office, American troops have been killed everywhere from Somalia and Niger to Yemen and Iraq. In 2018 alone, five US soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
But Trump has yet to visit Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria, among other places where US troops are putting their lives on the line to execute his orders.
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www.businessinsider.com/...