WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama participate in the unveiling of their official portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. The portraits were commissioned by the Gallery, for Kehinde Wiley to create President Obama's portrait, and Amy Sherald that of Michelle Obama. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Michelle Obama, who’s touring the U.S. to promote her autobiography, was named the most admired woman by Americans in a Gallup poll released today. It’s the first time in 17 years that former First Lady Hillary Clinton didn’t top the list.
Gallup’s annual poll, conducted December 3-12 among 1,025 U.S. adults, asks respondents what man or woman, living today in any part of the world, they admire most.
Former President Barack Obama is the most admired man for the 11th year in a row, besting current President Donald Trump, who’s second. That’s a rare position for an incumbent president — just 13 times out of 72 polls has the current president not won. Given the current polarized times, there was a large partisan split. Obama was the most admired man among Democrats and independents, while Republicans overwhelmingly said they preferred Trump.
Others on the top 10 list are former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, businessmen Bill Gates and Elon Musk, independent Bernie Sanders and Democrat Joe Biden, Vice President Mike Pence, Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama.
Among women, Oprah Winfrey came second, while Clinton fell to third. First Lady Melania Trump rose to fourth place. The 10 most-admired women also included Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ellen DeGeneres, Nikki Haley, Malala Yousafzai and Nancy Pelosi, the once and likely future House speaker. BLOOMBERG
