Majority of veterans polled support re-election of Donald Trump: ‘We want Trump back’
A recent Pew Research Poll gives former President Trump the lead with veterans nationwide over Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election.
The poll, conducted with 876 veteran registered voters, gave Trump or “Leans Trump” 61% of the key demographic’s support. Just 37% of the veterans polled responded that they support Harris.
Veterans make up around 6% of the country, according to the Census Bureau, or about 16 million people per 2022 numbers. The number of veterans nationwide is steadily dwindling, with around 18% of the American population being veterans in 1980.
Veterans 4 America First Institute, a nonprofit, reacted to the recent poll showing overwhelming support for Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“The reason veterans are sticking with Trump, despite all the fake news, all the lies about Trump, is because veterans care about two things: results, and their pension,” Darin Selnick, an Air Force veteran and founder of Veterans 4 America First Institute, told Fox News Digital.
“And so with the VA, you know, veterans all over the country saying, ‘We want Trump back’ because the VA has gone downhill. We’re not getting our choice of staff or not being accountable,” said Selnick.
The Mission Act and the Accountability Acts passed under former President Trump allowed for veterans to seek private providers outside the VA as well as hold poorly performing VA staff accountable.
The Veterans 4 America First Institute’s mission statement is “to preserve and expand our nation’s commitment to our veterans, military, and their families through public education and advocacy.”
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According to Pew, 60% of veterans cast their ballots in 2020 for Trump, and 39% voted for Joe Biden. This most recent poll more accurately reflects 2016 veteran numbers, when 61% voted for Trump and only 35% voted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
According to Selnick, a former Captain in the Air Force, veterans have not relied on news or polls to come to their decision about supporting Trump.
