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Michelle Obama beats Hillary Clinton for America’s most admired woman list

Barack Obama took the first spot for most admired man

Sarah Harvard
New York
Thursday 27 December 2018 17:05 GMT
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Michelle Obama performs Fortnite dance at children's hospital

Former first lady Michelle Obama beat Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, as America’s most admired woman in Gallup’s yearly poll.

The latest rankings mark the first time Ms Clinton, a former first lady and former secretary of state, did not make the number one spot on the list in 17 years.

Based on Americans surveyed, about 15 per cent chose Ms Obama as their most admired woman. Oprah Winfrey followed behind with 5 per cent, and both Ms Clinton and current first lady Melania Trump with 4 per cent.

The list also featured other high-profile women including Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

Former president Barack Obama, the husband of Ms Obama, topped the list for America’s most admired, men with 19 per cent of the vote.

In comparison, Donald Trump only received 13 per cent of the votes, a reflection that his approval rating is currently in the low- to mid-40s. There were clear partisan lines based on votes with majority of Democrats picking Mr Obama and Republicans picking Mr Trump.

This marks Mr Obama’s 11th time at the top of the list, which puts him one time short of former President Dwight Eisenhower for the most times being picked as America’s most admired man.

Other men on the list include former President George W Bush, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, former President Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, former vice president Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and vice president Mike Pence.

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Out of all 72 polls conducted, the 2018 rankings mark the 13th time that a sitting president was not voted most admired man.

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