President-elect Donald Trump has taken a few potshots at President Barack Obama lately (although he seems to be backing off), but as of right now, it seems more Americans admire Obama than Trump.
In Gallup's annual list of the men most admired in America, 22 percent of respondents chose Obama, while only 15 percent chose Trump, causing them to rank first and second respectively. While it is normal for sitting presidents to surpass incoming ones in the Gallup poll, this wasn't the case in 2008, when Obama beat George W. Bush as America's most admired man. He has held that spot each year ever since.
Trailing Obama and Trump were Pope Francis, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Rev. Billy Graham, former president Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Dalai Lama, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
By contrast, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was the woman most admired by Americans for a record-breaking 21st time. She earned 12 percent of the respondents' vote, compared to 8 percent for her runner-up, First Lady Michelle Obama. They were followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Elizabeth, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Does this mean that Obama could have beaten Trump if he had been able to run for a third term? Though the Gallup poll didn't suggest this, Trump's razor-thin margins of victory in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan strongly indicate that he could have. Maybe that's why Trump has been sending hater tweets like these since Christmas.
President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016
President Obama campaigned hard (and personally) in the very important swing states, and lost.The voters wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2016
Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but.......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
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