Trump vs. Obama: New Poll Shows How The Two Presidents Stack Up Against Each Other

A Gallup poll released Monday puts President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama in a tie as most admired man of 2019.

The poll, conducted Dec. 2-15, indicates each garnered the admiration of 18% of U.S. adults, with the adoration split along party lines: 41% of Democrats named Obama and 45% of Republicans named Trump. None of the other men named garnered more than 2% support.

It was Obama’s 12th appearance at the top of the list. Also, in the top 10 were: former President Jimmy Carter, businessman Elon Musk, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Pope Francis, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Rep. Adam Schiff, the Dalai Lama and investor Warren Buffett.

Eleven percent of Americans named a relative while 25% couldn’t think of anyone.

Gallup has been conducting this poll annually since 1948. Typically, the U.S. president tops the list, but Trump did not make the cut in either 2017 or 2018 when he was named by 13% and 14% of Americans, respectively. This year’s increase can be attributed mostly to Republicans, Gallup said, up from 32% in 2018 and 35% in 2017.

The poll was conducted before the U.S. House approved two articles of impeachment against Trump.

Trump’s popularity has been improving, with his job approval rate currently at 45%.

Admiration for Obama has held mostly steady: He garnered 19% in 2018 and 17% in 2017 after capturing the top spot in all eight years of his presidency. Dwight Eisenhower is the only other former president to gain double digits after leaving office.

Former first lady Michelle Obama was named most admired woman, garnering 10% of respondents, down from 15% last year when she released her book, “Becoming.” Current first lady Melania Trump finished second with 5% support, followed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg at 3% each.

The remainder of the top 10 included Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley. Queen Elizabeth made the top 10 cut for the 51st time, Winfrey for the 32nd and Clinton for the 28th.

The most admired polls are part of Gallup’s Social Series, which monitors views on social, economic and political topics. The polls include 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents with other quotas pertaining to time zone and Spanish-speaking participants. The sample includes a minimum of 1,000 adults at least 18 years of age.