Former U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have again repeated as the most admired man and woman in the United States, according to a new public opinion poll by Gallup, Inc. Obama, however, is in a tie for first place as the most admired man for 2019 with president Donald Trump while his wife, Melania, placed second to Michelle.
Each president received 18% of the vote from the 1,000 respondents polled by Gallup from December 12 to 15. Michelle received 10% of the vote compared to Melania's 5%. Gallup said this outcome mirrors the deep political divisions dividing the U.S. population.
The votes for the top admired men was split among party lines. Gallup said 41% of Democrats chose Obama while 45% of Republicans chose Trump. The poll showed 41% of Independents choosing Obama as did 3% of Republican respondents. In contrast, only 2% of Democrats and 10% of Independents chose Trump.
Gallup pointed out the split between Democrats and Republicans in this non-political popularity poll reflects the same divide in politics. The second and third placer among the men, former president Jimmy Carter and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, each claimed only 2% of the votes. Gallup noted the 2% is deep decline from the votes Obama and Trump earned.
This year is the 12th time Obama has been chosen the most admired man in the U.S according to Gallup. It's the second year in a row Michelle has held this distinction. Before Michelle topped this poll in 2018 and 2019, former first lady Hillary Clinton was dominant. Gallup said Clinton was America's most admired woman for 22 out of 25 years.
In fourth place among the men is Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Trailing him are Pope Francis, Sen. Bernie Sanders, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, the Dalai Lama and billionaire investor Warren Buffet.
Gallup explained the incumbent president has typically been the Americans' choice as the most admired man. This has been true in 58 of the 72 prior Gallup polls. On the other hand, when the incumbent president isn't the choice, it's usually because he's unpopular politically, which was the case for Trump in 2017 (36% approval rating) and 2018 (40%).
Behind Melania are former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Clinton and teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg named by 3% of U.S. adults. The remainder of the top 10 for women consists of Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
Each year since 1948, Gallup has asked Americans to name, in an open-ended fashion, which man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most.
