When Americans are given a choice, Donald Trump keeps coming in second place. Gallup reported today:
Americans once again are most likely to name Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most, as they have for the past 10 years.
Obama was first named the most admired man in 2008 — the year he won his first presidential election — and continues to hold the title, named by 17% of the poll’s respondents. Trump was second with 14%, while Pope Frances finished third with 9%. Obama has held the title 10 times, which is second only to Dwight Eisenhower, who received the distinction 12 times. Indeed, Obama is only the second former president to receive the honor, following Eisenhower’s titles in the late 1960s.
Bill Clinton, meanwhile, had finished in the top 10 for 25 consecutive years, but did not make the cut this year.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, narrowly edged out Michelle Obama, 9% to 7%, for the title of most admired woman of 2017. Oprah Winfrey and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) weren’t far behind. First Lady Melania Trump was tied for seventh place with just 1%.
Clinton, who was first honored as the most admired woman when she was first lady, has held the title 22 times, which is a record. What I suspect is likely to annoy Donald Trump the most, however, is the break with the historical pattern. From Gallup’s findings: Gallup has asked the most admired man question 71 times since 1946 — all but in 1976. The incumbent president has won 58 of those times. Previous incumbent presidents who did not finish first include Harry Truman in 1946-1947 and 1950-1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1967-1968, Richard Nixon in 1973, Gerald Ford in 1974-1975, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and George W. Bush in 2008. All but Truman in 1947 and Ford in 1974 had job approval ratings well below 50%, like Trump. In this case, the electoral college won’t help him.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
