Michelle Obama voted ‘most admired woman' for the third year in a row

Former first lady Michelle Obama is the "most admired woman" for the third year in a row, according to an annual survey published by Gallup. Michelle Obama, 56, edged out Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris and Melania Trump to secure the top spot, reported People. The most admired man and woman polls are often dominated by current or former Presidents and first ladies. Kamala Harris, who became the first woman Vice President-elect in history, got 6% of votes from those surveyed while former first lady Michelle Obama secured 10% of the votes. Four percent of those surveyed named current first lady Melania Trump as their "most admired woman." The Gallup poll has been asking the same question to its respondents since its inception: "What man/woman that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?"

Donald Trump, 74, unseated former President Barack Obama, 59, from the top spot as the "most admired man." President Trump has broken a 12-year-long streak of Barack Obama being named the "most admired man." Donald Trump had shared the honor with Obama in 2019 but edged out his predecessor this year with 18% of respondents naming Trump their "most admired man," as opposed to 15% who named Obama. Trump might have lost the 2020 Presidential elections but continues to be popular among Americans, according to the poll. It's important to note that an incumbent US President has always topped the Gallup poll since 1964. Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Pope Francis, Elon Musk, Bernie Sanders, Bill Gates, LeBron James, and Dalai Lama made the top ten list behind Trump and Barack Obama.

The poll overwhelmingly favors those who have graced the White House. Of the 71 times they have asked respondents the woman they admired most, 57 times current of former first ladies won the poll. It has also been the case since 1997, with Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama (2018 through 2020), and Laura Bush accounting for all the wins. Oprah Winfrey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Clinton, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Queen Elizabeth II, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and climate change activist Greta Thunberg made the rest of the top ten list behind Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and Melania Trump. 

Michelle Obama's 2018 book Becoming continues to be a bestseller two years since its release and also had a Netflix documentary charting the success of the book and the former first lady's book tour. Barack Obama also released his memoir, A Promised Land, in November. The book went on to sell reportedly sold 1.7 million copies in its first week.

The votes were split along party lines with 48% of Republicans naming Trump as their top choice for "most admired man," while 32% of Democrats voted for Obama. President-elect Joe Biden received 13% of votes from Democratic respondents. While Trump only has a 39% job approval rate, he is incredibly popular among Republicans and secured a majority of their votes. Democrats split their votes between Former President Obama and President-elect Biden which helped Trump secure the title of being the most admired man. "His dominant performance among Republicans, contrasted with Democrats splitting their choices among multiple public figures, pushes him to the top of the 2020 most admired man list," said a note by Gallup poll. Apart from Trump, no person received more than 2% of the Republican votes, reflecting the President's popularity within the party.

Donald Trump lost the 2020 Presidential election to Joe Biden but is yet to publicly concede. Despite the inauguration date edging nearer, Trump continues to allege voter fraud and is urging other Republicans back his case. Biden is already preparing to take over "As I long feared and warned, the effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should," said Biden, reported NBC News. "It will take more time than anyone would like and more time than the promises of the Trump administration. This is going to be the greatest operational challenge we've ever faced as a nation." this month and has been critical fo Trump for ignoring the pandemic and the slow administration of vaccines," he added.