Donald Trump on Monday claimed he has been “conceptually” endorsed by the military, despite the large number of military figures who have denounced him.
{mosads}In an interview with Florida’s WJXT-TV, Trump touted his endorsement from the national Fraternal Order of Police as well as other groups and organizations.
“We had a fantastic meeting with the folks, [a] pretty large group of folks, and they’re very upset about the way they’re being treated, and I understand that fully,” Trump said.
“And they’ve endorsed me, endorsed me fully. I’ve been endorsed by virtually every police department and police group. And I’ve been endorsed largely, conceptually at least, by the military and by the vets,” he continued.
In September, Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, won the endorsement of 88 retired generals and admirals who publicly expressed their support in a joint letter.
However, he has also faced heavy opposition from military figures. In August, a group of 50 top Republican national security officials wrote in a letter that Trump would jeopardize the nation’s safety.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also earned numerous endorsements from the military and intelligence communities, including a list of 110 retired officials in September.
“I now have more endorsements from retired flag officers than any Democrat other than an incumbent president has ever had,” Clinton said following the endorsement.
“Compared to where Trump is, where both [Mitt] Romney and [John] McCain were, they had between 300 and 500. I am doing better than any Democrat, he is doing worse than recent Republicans. So I am proud of the people who are supporting me,” she said.
A poll last week of active-duty troops showed Trump with 40 percent support, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson at 27 percent and Clinton at 21 percent.