The leading Republican candidates still must convince the public – and many Republicans – about their capabilities in this area.  Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, is viewed as “tough enough,” but a majority of the public is uneasy about his ability to handle an international crisis and does not believe he is ready to be Commander-in-Chief.  

Nearly nine in ten Republicans say Trump is tough enough; two in three are confident he could handle an international crisis and is ready to be Commander in Chief. Trump fares better on all these measures than other Republicans, including three with experience in elected office. Less than half of Republicans give Ben Carson a positive assessment on any of these characteristics. In contrast, majorities of Republicans see former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio as ready to be Commander-in-Chief. Less than half of Republicans, however, think Bush as tough enough or are confident in his ability to handle international crisis. However, none of these three Republicans fare as well with their own party identifiers as Clinton does with hers.