Former President Trump is leading Vice President Harris among veterans, active service members and their families, according to a new poll of the voting bloc.
A survey from Change Research, shared with The Hill on Wednesday, found Trump is leading Harris 51 percent to 41 percent among veterans and 49 percent to 44 percent among active duty, guardsmen and reservists. The margin was smaller among family members of veterans, with Trump edging out Harris 47 percent to 45 percent.
Semafor was the first to report on the survey.
Pollsters noted the support for Trump from veterans, active-duty members and their family members have all slightly dropped since the 2016 election, shrinking the former president's margins among each of these groups by at least 9 points. Trump won veterans by 19 percentage points in 2016 but leads by 10 now, while his lead among active service members dropped from 19 points to 5 points and 12 points to 2 points with family members.
When those who voted for Trump at least once but do not plan to this November were asked to explain their choice, 53 percent said his comments, attitudes and policies towards veterans and service members were part of their decision.
Over the years, Trump has maintained strong support from veterans, who often vote in favor of Republicans. At the same time, the former president has also come under fire from this voting bloc on numerous occasions since his first White House run.
He took heat last week following a reported altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving his staff during his visit to mark the third anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The former president was joined by some family of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the 2021 Kabul airport attack and said the family asked him to visit and take pictures.
The confrontation reportedly took place when cemetery staff members tried to stop Trump’s campaign team from photographing and filming a solemn area of the cemetery dedicated to those who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Critics argued he used the graves as a campaign backdrop.
Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activists within the cemetery, and the Army last week said an employee was pushed aside by the Trump team when trying to enforce the rules prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds.
The GOP nominee and his team have pushed back on the claims, calling it a “made up story.”
Pollsters also asked participants to imagine being a team member in combat with Trump. In response, 55 percent said the former president would only look out for himself, while 54 percent said he would "talk a big game but not do much." Furthermore, 49 percent said he would "crumble under pressure," and just more than a third predicted he would win a Medal of Valor.
The Change Research poll was conducted Aug. 23-29 among 1,703 veterans, active-duty service members, and family/household members of veterans and service members nationwide. The margin of error is 2.5 percentage points.
