Former first lady Michelle Obama is America’s most admired woman, overtaking former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, who held the title for 17 years, according to a Gallup poll conducted this month.
Fifteen percent of people surveyed by Gallup between Dec. 3 and Dec. 12 named Obama as the woman they admired the most. Five percent of respondents said they most admired television personality Oprah Winfrey while four percent named either Clinton or first lady Melania Trump.
Obama, who is touring following the release her best-selling autobiography, “Becoming,” had finished second to Clinton three times before, according to Gallup. The former Secretary of State has been named the most admired woman in America more than any other woman or man, with 22 first place finishes, including in 1993, 1994, 1997 through 2000 and 2002 through 2017, according to Gallup.
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Other women who were named most admired included England’s Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Michelle Obama’s husband, former President Barack Obama, was named America’s most admired man for the 11th consecutive year, overtaking President Donald Trump for the fourth year in a row, according to Gallup. The distinction puts Barack Obama one win short of tying former President Dwight Eisenhower for the most times being named America’s most admired man.
His win also marked the 13th time the incumbent president failed to claim to claim the title.
“Usually, the president does not win when he has subpar job approval ratings, as is the case with Trump,” according to Gallup. “Trump and Gerald Ford are the two presidents to date who did not win the honor while in office.”
Nineteen percent of people surveyed by Gallup named Barack Obama as the man they admired most, compared to Donald Trump’s 13 percent.
Other men who were named most admired included former President George W. Bush, Pope Francis, Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Bill Clinton.
Gallup has asked Americans to name the man and woman living anywhere in the world whom thy most admire every year but one since 1946. Interviews are held over the phone with a random sample of Americans above the age of 18.
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