Republican voters have lost their damned minds: They trust Ben Carson the most with nuclear weapons

Regular Nazi analogies? Check. Appalling ignorance of global affairs? Check. Someone give this man nuclear weapons

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published November 3, 2015 4:20PM (EST)

  (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
(Reuters/Carlos Barria)

Ben Carson is leading the entire Republican field according to a new national NBC/WSJ poll, but it's the findings of another poll that demonstrate the depths of his support, with nearly 40 percent of Republican voters indicating that the retired neurosurgeon is best equipped to handle the nation's nuclear arsenal.

The findings of the new Reuters/Ipsos poll offer a glimpse into the political neophyte's appeal with Republican voters. 39 percent of Republicans trust Carson, who has never before run for or held public office, the most to deal with foreign leaders. 39 percent also say they would trust the soft-spoken Carson to have his finger on the proverbial "button" controlling America's nukes.

In the aforementioned NBC/WSJ poll, Carson leads all Republican candidates with 29 percent support and comes second to Donald Trump in the Reuters poll, with 18 percent. In the NBC poll, Carson is the only Republican presidential candidate in the field to have 50 percent support among Republican voters when you combine their first and second choices.

Another 31 percent of Republicans in the Reuters poll said that Carson's third debate performance on CNBC last week improved their impressions of him. Carson has since led the revolt against the RNC's debate negotiations.

Clearly feeling Carson threatening his dominance at the top of the crowded field, Trump appeared on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday to knock Carson as too inexperienced to become president. "I think Ben just doesn’t have the experience," Trump told George Stephanopoulos.

"It’s not his thing. He doesn’t have the temperament for it," the former reality TV star argued.

Watch to learn about Carson's 'violent past':
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Ben Carson Leads 2016 Republicans In New National Poll


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

MORE FROM Sophia Tesfaye


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