President Donald Trump’s approval rating among active-duty military personnel has slipped over the last two years, leaving troops evenly split over his job performance, according to a Military Times poll.
A survey of active-duty service members showed about 44 percent of troops with a favorable view of Trump’s presidency, with 43 percent disapproving.
In 2016, a similar Military Times poll showed that 46 percent of troops approved of Trump compared with 37 percent who disapproved.
The military remains more supportive of Trump than the public at large, however; a Real Clear Politics’ averaging of polls showed Trump with 43 percent approval , and 52 percent disapproval.
“The general rule of thumb with the military is that it moves along with public opinion but lags conservative,” Peter Feaver, a former adviser to former President George W. Bush who is now a political science professor at Duke University and author.
“In this case, we’re seeing military members shifting along with the public, but still staying a little more pro-Trump than the rest of the country.”
In other findings, the poll showed:
- More than 60 percent said they believe the military is in better shape now than it was under President Barack Obama, and nearly the same number have a favorable view of the way Trump has handled the military. Thirteen percent said they believed Obama’s military was in better shape.
- Defense Secretary James Mattis has a favorable rating among troops of nearly 84 percent. Support among officers is more than 89 percent.
- Trump’s disapproval rating among women topped 68 percent, with only about 26 percent of military women expressing a favorable view. Among military men, Trump has a 47 percent favorable rating and a 38 percent disapproval mark.
- Among minority troop members, 29 percent have a favorable view of Trump, while 47 percent have an unfavorable view.
The survey’s margin of error for most questions was roughly 2 percent.
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