… A month ago, Trump’s standing among Republican presidential candidates appeared to be eroding, especially in Iowa, where Ben Carson was gaining support. But since the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Trump has seized the center of the GOP’s stage and bolstered his lead in both national and state polls. The horrors inflicted by Islamic State have given his campaign a lift. …
An ABC-Washington Post poll released this week found that 42% of Republicans named Trump as the candidate they trusted most to handle terrorism, far ahead of any of his competitors.
The public’s heightened fear may not last until next year’s general election, but it will surely remain fresh until the Iowa caucuses in January. CONT.
Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times