President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE on Sunday highlighted an Associated Press poll that showed a majority of veterans surveyed approved of his handling of border security — the issue at the heart of the partial government shutdown.

Trump touted two specific findings from the poll, which was released Saturday. He noted that 62 percent of veterans polled said they approve of Trump's handling of border security, and 59 percent said they believe he is a strong leader.

Veterans on President Trump’s handling of Border Security - 62% Approval Rating. On being a strong leader - 59%. AP Poll. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2018

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In both cases, veterans had more positive views of Trump than non-veterans.

Forty-nine percent of those who have not served in the military said they believe Trump is a strong leader, and 48 percent approved of his handling of border security.

Overall, 56 percent of veteran respondents said they approve of Trump's performance as president, the poll found. That number is lower among female veterans, 58 percent of whom said they disapprove of Trump.

Among non-veterans, 42 percent of those surveyed said they approve of Trump's job performance, according to the poll.

Trump earlier this year deployed thousands of troops to the area along the U.S.-Mexico border. While he argued it was necessary for national security, the move drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties who suggested it was a political stunt ahead of the midterm elections.

The AP poll, which was based on surveys with 115,000 midterm voters including 4,000 current and former military service members, was released roughly a week after Trump announced he would pull U.S. troops out of Syria.

It also came just days after he made a surprise visit to service members in Iraq. The former move drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties, while the latter marked the first time Trump had visited troops in a combat zone since taking office.