Michelle and Barack Obama lead the ranking of the most admired people in the United States

The former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama is the most admired woman by the citizens of the United States according to the annual ranking published by Gallup market research company, corresponding to 2018.

Michelle Obama has unseated Hillary Clinton, who led this ranking consecutively for the last 17 years and who in 2018 has been relegated to third place on the list.

The second position has been for the popular television host Oprah Winfrey, while Melania Trump, wife of the current president of the United States, Donald Trump, has ranked fourth place.

The wife of former President Barack Obama, who is currently promoting her autobiography Becoming, has imposed a significant margin on the rest of the women admired by Americans. She was mentioned by 15% of the people surveyed by Gallup. The second on the list, Oprah Winfrey, has been mentioned by 5% of respondents.

The list of the ten most admired women is completed by Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, host Ellen DeGeneres, the former US ambassador at the United Nations Nikki Haley, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

THE MOST ADMIRED MEN

On the other hand, former President Barack Obama has repeated for the eleventh consecutive year as the most admired man in the United States. Obama, mentioned by 19% of respondents, has surpassed President Donald Trump, mentioned by 13%. The third place has been awarded  to another former president, George W. Bush (2%), while Pope Francis has been ranked in fourth place  (2%).

The other six men most often mentioned by Gallup respondents are Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, former President Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and the current vice president of the United States, Mike Pence.

Gallup conducts this annual survey of the most admired women and men in the United States since 1946, with the sole exception of 1976.