Though former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama left the White House some two years ago, it seems they still have a strong place in America’s heart: The Obamas have topped 2018’s Most Admired list in an annual survey conducted by Gallup.
The annual survey was conducted December 3–12 this year, and asked Americans to name a living man and woman whom they admire most. It’s been a tradition since 1946, the first year the survey was asked. This year’s findings proved to be a bit of a switch-up from past surveys: It’s the first time in 17 years that Hillary Clinton hasn’t topped the Most Admired Woman list. (Michelle has been a runner-up to Clinton three times.) It’s Barack’s 11th year in a row at No. 1, and after he played Santa Claus at a children’s hospital this month, it’s really no surprise.
On the Most Admired list of men, current President Donald Trump followed Barack in second place, his fourth year in a row as runner-up, despite the fact that he has the worst approval rating of any U.S. president in modern history. He was followed by former President George W. Bush, Pope Francis, and Bill Gates. Other names that made the top 10 include Bill Clinton, Bernie Sanders, the Dalai Lama, and Joe Biden.
As for the most admired woman, Michelle—who has been busy traveling the nation on her book tour for Becoming, the best-selling hardcover of 2018—bested Oprah Winfrey, followed by Hillary Clinton in third. Current First Lady Melania Trump came in fourth, and Queen Elizabeth II in fifth. Other names on the top 10 are Angela Merkel, Ellen DeGeneres, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Malala Yousafzai.
