VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Local veterans hope Donald Trump will keep his promises to help them and reform the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"He's going to have a lot of power," said Richard Palmer, a veteran. "I think he's going to stick up for veterans."
Exit polls from CNN show veterans voted 2-1 to support Trump over Hillary Clinton. Trump made veterans issues one of the focuses of his campaign, including unveiling a plan to report the VA during a trip to Virginia Beach.
"It's a critical issue, one that hasn't been looked at for a long time," said Carl Swanson, who served in the Navy for more than 30-years. "Veterans were kind of forgotten for a while."
Trump did create some controversy during the campaign, like when he said John McCain wasn't a war hero. Poll numbers show a majority of veterans support him, leading to expectations when he takes office.
