“Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd explained that Donald Trump is excelling in the polls thanks to a feeling of insecurity in the country, and in part because of a “leadership vacuum” left by President Barack Obama.

“The White House needs to be aware this is a time of insecurity out there and if they don’t fill the vacuum, somebody else is going to,” Todd said.

Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday, Todd argued that Trump’s “strength” is helping him in the polls.

Host of “Morning Joe,” Joe Scarborough insisted, “Barack Obama is giving Donald Trump… a perfect platform.”

“And this issue of insecurity is real,” Todd explained. “And look I have a close friend who never in their entire adult life thought about purchasing a gun and over the last couple of weeks have thought about about purchasing a gun for the first time in their life. You saw, there is insecurity out there. The combination of all these events, the mass shootings in general, the fear of terrorism, thanks to Paris and thanks to San Bernardino, there is this feeling of insecurity in the American public.”

“We rely on a president to help us get through those times. Whether that’s fair or not it’s part of the job,” Todd said. “And I think that the White House needs to be aware this is a time of insecurity out there. And if they don’t fill the vacuum, somebody else is going too.”

“I think it’s Trump’s strength,” the host of “Meet the Press” explained. “Paris, and I think he’s going to get strong after San Bernardino…. I think many people are going to look at it he’s being exploitive but in situations like this, the way he’s been talking, the tough talking that he’s been doing, first it was on immigration, he’s basically using the same messaging but now about Muslims and terrorism.”

“National security when you talk about foreign policy and what to do in the Middle East, he’s not that strong but he has turned all these issues into domestic security. And look, this is where I think you’re right, Joe. I think this is, I think there’s plenty of voters gravitating toward him, at least in the Republican primary because he’s willing to say what others won’t say,” Todd suggested. (RELATED: Black Pastor: ‘The Liberal Media’ Doesn’t Know The Real Trump [VIDEO])

Scarborough added, “And when bombs are going off in Paris … and Paris is looking like Beirut did in the early 1980s and suburban neighborhoods in California are looking like Baghdad in 2005 and 2006 they don’t want to hear somebody saying we’re not sure and don’t know, we don’t know how to win, Syria is difficult, it’s tough.”

“They want to hear what Ronald Reagan said in 1979 and 1980 when asked what are you going to do about the hostage crisis? We’re going to get them back, we’re going to treat the Iranians like terrorists,” Scarborough said.

“What are you going to do about the Soviet Union? We’re going to win. And of course, it’s simple-minded. I’m not comparing Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan, my Republican friends. It’s all Chuck, about contrast. And Barack Obama is giving Donald Trump and [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] a perfect platform to do exactly what they’re doing whether it’s other offensive to Americans or not,” explained Scarborough.

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