The results of a new poll released by Military Times today show that military service members are increasingly expressing support for Vice President Biden over Trump, directly undercutting Trump’s claims that his support among service members is strong.

The Military Times poll shows a decline in active-duty service members’ views of Trump.

Military Times: “The latest Military Times poll shows a continued decline in active-duty service members’ views of President Donald Trump and a slight but significant preference for former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming November election among troops surveyed. 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.”

The poll found that if the election were held today, more active-duty service members would vote for Biden than for Trump, by nearly a 6-point margin. This is a notable change from 2016, when Trump led by a wide margin in Military Times’ October poll.

Nearly half of respondents had an unfavorable view of Trump, compared with less than 38% who had a positive view, directly contradicting Trump’s claims that his support among military members is strong.

Military Times: “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.”

The poll also found that active-duty service members overwhelmingly disagreed with Trump’s handling of reports that Russian officials offered bounties to target and kill American troops and his suggestion that active-duty military personnel should be used to respond to protests. 

Military Times: “Only about 17 percent of those surveyed felt the White House has properly handed reports that Russian officials offered bounties for Afghan fighters to target and kill American troops, an issue Trump has dismissed as unreliable intelligence. Nearly 47 percent disagreed with his statements.

“Similarly, almost 74 percent of those surveyed disagreed with Trump’s suggestion that active-duty military personnel should be used to respond to civil unrest in American cities, including the ongoing racial equality protests. Only about 22 percent supported the president’s idea.”