Trump gains amid terror jitters
Fears of new attacks highest since Sept 11
NEW YORK: Americans are more fearful about the likelihood of another terrorist attack than at any other time since the weeks after Sept 11, 2001, a gnawing sense of dread that has helped lift Donald Trump to a new high among Republican primary voters, according to the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll.
In the aftermath of attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, a plurality of the public views the threat of terrorism as the top issue facing the country. A month ago, only 4% of Americans said terrorism was the most important problem; now, 19% say it is, above any other issue.
Mr Trump, who has called for monitoring mosques and even barring Muslims from entering the United States, has become the clear beneficiary of this moment of deep national anxiety. More than four in 10 Republican primary voters say the quality most important to them in a candidate is strong leadership, which eclipses honesty, empathy, experience or electability. These voters heavily favour Mr Trump.
The survey was largely conducted before Mr Trump’s proposal, announced on Monday, to temporarily block Muslims from entering the country.
“He’ll keep a sharp eye on those Muslims,” Bettina Norden, 60, a farmer in Springfield, Oregon, said in a followup interview. “He’ll keep the Patriot Act together. He’ll watch immigration. Stop the Muslims from immigrating.”
Republicans expressed confidence in Mr Trump’s ability to confront terrorism: Seven in 10 people who said they were likely to vote in a Republican primary said he was well-equipped to respond to the threat, with four in 10 “very confident” he could handle terrorism. Only Sen Ted Cruz of Texas comes close to those numbers among the party’s voters.
But it is not only Republicans who are feeling renewed fear and anxiety about terrorist strikes on American soil. Fortyfour percent of the public says an attack is “very” likely to take place in the next few months, the highest percentage in Times or CBS News polls since October 2001, just after the deadliest terrorist assault in the country’s history. Seven in 10 Americans now call the Islamic State (IS) extremist group a major threat to the US’ security, the highest recorded level since the Times/ CBS News poll began asking the question last year.
The public seems to hold little faith in President Barack Obama’s handling of terrorism and the threat posed by the IS. Fifty-seven percent of Americans disapprove of the way he has handled terrorism, and seven in 10 say the fight against the IS is going badly.
There have been few foreign-directed terrorist attacks in the US in the past decade, and US officials have repeatedly said that there is no credible evidence of planning for a large-scale attack in the US by the IS or its supporters.
Yet while Mr Trump may be benefiting among Republicans from a perceived loss of safety, he remains a highly divisive figure with the broader electorate. Sixtyfour percent of voters said they would be concerned or scared about what he would do if he became president. And while Mr Trump occupies a commanding position among Republican primary voters, with more than twice the support of his nearest competitor, his followers still represent a minority of that relatively small population.
Even as he leads the Republican field in support, he also has the highest number of Republican primary voters, 23%, who say they would be most dissatisfied with him as the party’s nominee.
“It’s the things he says and how he says them,” said Bill Rogers, 43, of Xenia, Ohio, who supports John Kasich, the state’s Republican governor. “He’s just too blunt and straightforward, and it’s scary. He doesn’t hold anything back. Some people think the way he speaks is offensive, and I’m one of them.”
Perceptions about the likelihood of another attack are also carrying over into how Americans feel about the state of the country overall.
Just 24% say the country is headed in the right direction, the lowest figure in a Times or CBS News survey in more than two years. More than half of the public, 53%, say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in Washington; another 31% say they are angry.