Americans Trust Hillary Clinton to Handle Terrorism More Than Leading Republican Candidates

Strategic Insights -

A new poll has found that Americans trust Hillary Clinton to handle the threat of terrorism more than any of the leading Republican candidates for president in the wake of the Paris attacks. Clinton leads most of the GOP candidates by a wide margin, with the closest gap being with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The poll also found that Americans strongly disapprove of how President Barack Obama is handling ISIS and the threat of terrorism. Clinton's trust in handling terrorism is particularly significant, as it exceeds that of the leading Republican candidates by a significant margin.

Key Takeaways:

  • Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 8 points and Ben Carson by 9 points in terms of who Americans trust to handle the threat of terrorism.
  • Clinton tops Jeb Bush by 3 percentage points, with Clinton at 46% and Bush at 43%.
  • Clinton leads the other Republican candidates by significant margins, with Trump at 42%, Carson at 40%, Ted Cruz at 40%, and Marco Rubio at 43%.
  • The poll found that Americans strongly disapprove of how President Barack Obama is handling ISIS and the threat of terrorism, with 57% disapproving of his handling of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and 54% disapproving of his handling of the threat of terrorism.
  • The closest gap in trust for handling terrorism between Clinton and a Republican candidate is with Jeb Bush, who is within the margin of error of Clinton.
  • Americans' trust in Clinton to handle terrorism exceeds that of the leading Republican candidates by a significant margin.

Statistics:

  • 50% of Americans trust Hillary Clinton to handle the threat of terrorism, compared to:

+ 42% for Donald Trump

+ 40% for Ben Carson

+ 40% for Ted Cruz

+ 40% for Marco Rubio

+ 43% for Jeb Bush

  • 49% of Americans trust Hillary Clinton to handle terrorism, compared to 41% for Ben Carson.
  • 47% of Americans trust Hillary Clinton to handle terrorism, compared to 40% for Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
  • 57% of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, while 35% approve.
  • 54% of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of the threat of terrorism, while 40% approve.

Sources:

  • Washington Post-ABC News poll
  • "Poll: Trump trails Clinton on terrorism" by Philip Bump, The Washington Post, November 23, 2015
  • "Poll: Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of terrorism" by Philip Bump, The Washington Post, November 23, 2015