When Donald Trump lashes out at Gold Star families, war heroes, and any military veteran who dares speak out against him, he gains a boost with his base, but loses ground with a base he says he has locked down: the military. Alexander Vindman, a lifelong serviceman who served for 21 years in the U.S. Army before testifying against Trump in his impeachment trial, knows a little something about being attacked by the president, but he also knows how the military sees Trump ahead of the 2020 election.
Vindman was forced to retire from the military after his testimony thanks to the backlash from his brave decision to stand against Trump’s corruption, but he’s continuing to speak out against the president. On Monday, Vindman pointed to a new article in the Military Times that shows that Trump is not popular with those serving overseas, and that he’s not the only one who’s seen through Trump’s lies about military support.
‘The results, collected before the political conventions earlier this month, appear to undercut claims from the president that his support among military members is strong thanks to big defense budget increases in recent years and promised moves to draw down troops from overseas conflict zones…
‘In the latest results — based on 1,018 active-duty troops surveyed in late July and early August — nearly half of respondents (49.9 percent) had an unfavorable view of the president, compared to about 38 percent who had a favorable view. Questions in the poll had a margin of error of up to 2 percent.
‘Among all survey participants, 42 percent said they “strongly” disapprove of Trump’s time in office.’
Although Trumps likes to brag about “his” military and “his” generals, it seems those serving in active duty are more likely to disapprove of him than praise his economic policies funding the military. Of course, most of Trump’s claims are exaggerated, but those serving our country also know that it takes more than throwing money at a military budget to keep a country safe.
Twitter offered their support for Vindman and commented on their feelings about Trump and the military. Read some of their comments below:
