Trump Holds an Almost 20-Point Lead – 55 Percent to 36 Percent – With Military and Veteran Voters

Trump More Effective Commander-in-Chief, But Clinton More Trusted on Nuclear Weapon Use, Say Military and Veteran Voters

Numbers Released Ahead of Tonight’s Commander-in-Chief Forum at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and MSNBC

SEPT. 7, 2016 – According to a new NBC News|SurveyMonkey online poll, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is favored among voters who are currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. military, leading Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by 19 points.

53 percent of these voters feel comfortable in Trump’s ability to be an effective commander-in-chief of the nation’s military; comparatively, just 35 percent feel comfortable in Clinton’s ability. When broadened to all registered voters, voter confidence in Trump’s ability lowers to 39 percent and grows to 46 percent in Clinton’s ability.

Trump also leads Clinton among military and veteran voters when it comes to veterans issues: 53 percent to 28 percent. However, the lead dwindles to one point among all registered voters: 40 percent to 39 percent.

More voters trust Clinton over Trump to make the right decisions about the use of nuclear weapons: 34 percent of military and veteran voters (a one-point advantage over Trump) and 44 percent of all registered voters (a 20-point lead over Trump)

Today’s poll follows numbers from less than a month ago which found Trump leading Clinton among military households by ten points.

The new poll is released ahead of tonight’s NBC News and MSNBC Commander -in-Chief Forum, the first joint candidate event of the general election. The one-hour event, simulcast live at 8 p.m. ET on the NBC broadcast network and on MSNBC, will feature presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump taking questions on national security, military affairs and veterans’ issues from a live audience comprised of service members and veterans. The event will also stream live on NBCNews.com. Read more about the forum: http://nbcnews.to/2bRafQZ.

More on the new NBC News|SurveyMonkey online poll’s findings: http://nbcnews.to/2c9MG95.

MANDATORY CREDIT: NBC NEWS|SURVEYMONKEY ONLINE POLL 

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