Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump traded barbs Tuesday over their handling of military issues, with Clinton releasing an ad in Georgia (you can see it here) and other competitive states, which is aimed at veterans, while Trump highlighted a letter from nearly 90 retired generals and military brass, endorsing his presidential campaign.
Trump's endorsement letter includes the name of Troy Tolbert, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who lives in Valdosta, according to his Facebook page. Tolbert said Clinton would continue President Barack Obama's "failed foreign policy that has left our great nation weaker and our military neglected."
Clinton, meanwhile, also said Tuesday the endorsements from retired Gen. John Allen and other military and intelligence officials signal she has support from experts who "know they can count on me to be the kind of commander in chief who will protect our country and our troops." Her supporters last month released an open letter signed by 15 Georgia military veterans casting Trump as "dangerously clueless" and a threat to the U.S. Constitution.
The dueling rhetoric comes a day ahead of a forum hosted by NBC and MSNBC featuring both Trump and Clinton that will focus on national security and defense.
The two candidates are fighting to earn the votes of the nearly 21 million veterans in the U.S., an influential bloc in states such as Georgia with several military bases and a heavy presence of former soldiers. An estimated 750,000 veterans live in the Peach State, about 8 percent of Georgia’s total population.
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