Obama is only the second former president to win the poll while out of office.
Photo by Sarah Burris/Flickr.
It’s not easy letting go. For the 10th year in a row, Barack Obama has been named the “most admired” man in America, according to a new Gallup poll. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton was named the most admired woman for a record 16th year in a row. It’s her 22nd ?time winning the honor overall.
On the surface, it might not sound too surprising that Obama continues to be the most admired man in America. After all, he left office with high approval numbers and continues to be a soothing balm for millions of citizens still coming to grips with the Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Trump continues to receive historically low approval numbers for a president during their first year in office.
However, dig a little deeper into Gallup’s numbers and you’ll find some history-making facts — but not the kind Trump will want to hear:
• This is the first time since Gallup began its tracking in 1946 that an elected president was not named “most admired.”
• Presidents have won the “most admired” title 58 out of the 71 times the question has been asked by Gallup.
• Obama is only the second former president ever to win the poll, the other being Dwight Eisenhower.
• Melania Trump fared even worse than Donald, finishing eighth in the top 10, with just 1% naming her most admired woman.
• Trump finished second in the voting, with 14% to Obama’s 17%.
Photo by Evan Guest/Flickr.
Gallup notes that it’s likely Trump will win the distinction next year, as former presidents tend to fade in the polls. For example, this is the first time Bill Clinton has not landed in the top 10 since he first won the White House back in 1992:
“Trump's unpopularity is holding him back from winning the most admired distinction. The incumbent president is the usual winner, since he is arguably the most prominent figure in the country — but when the president is unpopular, other well-known and well-liked men have been able to finish first.”
The other three politicians appearing in the top 10 are John McCain (2%), who hadn’t appeared on the list in several years, Bernie Sanders (1%) and Vice President Mike Pence (1%).
For the women, it’s a list dominated by progressive voices. Appearing just below Clinton (9%) is Michelle Obama (7%), then Oprah Winfrey (4%) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (3%). U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (1%) is the sole Republican woman on the list, coming in at number 8, just ahead of Duchess Kate Middleton and Beyoncé.
According to Gallup, a full 25% of respondents could not name a single man or woman as most admired. Still, the Gallup results show that even though the election went to Trump, one year into his presidency, many Americans are still looking to the recent past for their ideal version of admirable American leadership.
Photo by Obama White House/Flickr.
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