Active-duty service members prefer Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by a 2:1 margin, according to a survey released Monday. Yet 20 percent of troops said they would not vote if those were the only two choices for president.
The Military Times survey found that 54 percent of troops back Trump and just 25 percent support Clinton. In that matchup, 21 percent said they would not vote.
“It’s a lose/lose situation no matter what,” one survey respondent wrote.
When Trump is matched against Bernie Sanders, the GOP businessman still wins with 51 percent support, but Sanders outperforms Clinton, getting the votes of 38 percent of those surveyed. In that contest, only 11 percent would not vote.
Female troops, however, were more likely to back Clinton than Trump by a 51-24 percent margin, the survey found.
Trump enjoys the most support among Marines; 60 percent of respondents back the GOP presumptive nominee.
The results come from Military Times’ survey of nearly 1,000 active-duty troops, reservists and National Guardsmen between May-6. The majority, 66 percent, identified as enlisted, while the rest said they were officers.
National security experts have criticized the former reality TV star for his lack of foreign policy experience as well as specific statements he’s made, like promising to bring back waterboarding. The survey results suggest those statements are not hurting his support among the military.
