A majority of respondents said in a new poll that they believe Democratic nominee Joe Biden has more respect for the military than President Trump.
The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 61 percent of respondents said Biden had more respect for the U.S. military, compared to 37 percent who said Trump had more respect.
The results were split among partisan lines, with 81 percent of Republicans believing Trump has more respect for the military, and 16 percent of Republicans siding with Biden. Among Democrats, 93 percent said Biden was more respectful of the military, while 7 percent said Trump held the high ground.
Most independents stood with Biden, with 65 percent saying he had a higher respect for the military, compared to 35 percent of independents who said Trump did.
The ABC News/Ipsos poll surveyed 533 adults in the U.S. between Sept. 11 and 12. The margin of error amounted to 4.7 percentage points.
The poll was conducted after Trump faced controversy when The Atlantic published a report that said the president made several disparaging comments about slain military members. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Atlantic cited multiple sources when reporting the president canceled a 2018 trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France, where Americans who died in World War I are buried, due to concerns about his hair getting ruined in the rain.
He reportedly asked senior staff, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.”
The sources also said Trump called the U.S. Marines killed at Belleau Wood during the war “suckers” because they had died.
The Associated Press and Fox News have said they confirmed at least some of the reporting.
But the White House has stood by the president, saying at least 25 former and current officials said on the record they did not hear the comments reported in The Atlantic.