Trump is ‘Most Admired Man’ in 2020 Gallup Poll

President Donald Trump laid an end to former President Barack Obama’s 12-year run as “Most Admired Man” in the US. This year, the annual Gallup survey named Trump as the “Most Admired Man” for 2020. This marks the tenth time Trump finished among the top 10. His popularity preceded his Presidency, as he received votes four times before entering politics. He received top-ten finishes in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 2011. 

RELATED: Gallup: Donald Trump, Barack Obama Tied as Most Admired Man in 2019

Gallup, an analytics and advisory company, conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,018 adults across the country from December 1 to 17. The “Most Admired Man” and “Most Admired Woman” polls have taken place since 1946. 

The Presidential Advantage

The current President usually has an advantage in winning the “Most Admired Man” title. As it stands, the sitting US president won the award 60 out of 74 years. Trump tied with Obama last year for the number one spot and finished second in 2017 and 2018.  

This year, 18% of survey respondents voted for Trump. This is 3% higher than those who voted for Obama (15%). 6% chose President-elect Joe Biden, while 3% selected Dr. Anthony Fauci and 2% voted for Pope Francis. Five other personalities received 1% of the votes each. These are Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, NBA superstar LeBron James and the Dalai Lama.

Along Party Lines

Respondents were split along party lines. 48% of Republican voters named Trump. Meanwhile, 32% of Democrat supporters selected Obama as their man. Biden is the second-best choice for Democrats, getting 13% of the party votes.  For Republicans, only Trump got more than 2% of the GOP votes. Both Trump and Obama received 11% of independent voters, while Biden got 3%. Meanwhile, Fauci was the choice of 5 percent of Democrats but just 1 percent of Republicans.

The sitting U.S. president has been named the pollster’s most-admired man in 60 out of 74 years, including all eight years of Obama’s presidency and every year of George W. Bush’s presidency except for 2008. 

Michelle Obama Most Admired Woman

Meanwhile, the “Most Admired Woman” award went to former First Lady Michelle Obama. Obama garnered 10% of the total votes, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris got 6%.  Current First Lady Melania Trump received 4% of the votes. A current or former first lady has been named the most admired woman 57 of the 71 times. Melania Trump joins Lady Bird Johnson and Bess Truman as the only other first ladies not to get the top place. 

Other top finalists for the “Most Admired Woman” awards include former talk show host Oprah Winfrey at fourth place. Then, Queen Elizabeth II, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Former State Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tied for fifth place. Each received 2% of the vote. In addition, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and climate activist Greta Thunberg rounded out the top ten. Both received 1% of the votes. 

Other Votes

In addition, some voters chose a relative or friend as their most admired. 11% of votes for “Most Admired Man” chose this option, while 16% did the same for the female version. Also, about 20% of those polled didn't offer an opinion as to whom they most admire.

Watch the Fox News video on how President Donald Trump ended Barack Obama's reign as ‘most admired man in America':

Do you agree with the results of the Gallup poll’s “Most Admired Man?” What about “Most Admired Woman?” If not, who do you think deserves the award more? Let us know by sharing your thoughts. Leave your choice in the comment section below.