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Donald Trump and Michelle Obama are most admired people in 2020, poll says

Trump receives the top honor for the first time, beating out former President Barack Obama who ended his 12-year run as the most admired man, a tied record.
Credit: AP
First lady Melania Trump stands with President Donald Trump, President Barack Obama, and former first lady Michelle Obama, as they pause on the steps of the East Front of the U.S. Capitol during a departure ceremony for Obama Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump and former first lady Michelle Obama are the most admired man and woman in 2020, according to a new Gallup poll.

Trump receives the top honor for the first time, beating out former President Barack Obama who ended his 12-year run as the most admired man, a record streak shared with former President Dwight Eisenhower. 

Michelle Obama receives the honor for the third year in a row, beating out Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. 

In conducting the survey, Gallup asks Americans to name, without prompting, any man and any woman in the world who they admire most. Gallup says the incumbent U.S. president has topped the list 60 times since the poll began in 1946. 

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Of those surveyed, 18% named Trump as the most admired man, 15% named Obama, 6% named President-elect Joe Biden and 3% named Dr. Anthony Fauci. Rounding out the top 10 were Pope Francis, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Bill Gates, LeBron James and the Dalai Lama. 

As for women, 10% named Mrs. Obama, 6% named Harris and 4% named current first lady Melania Trump. The most admired women in the top 10 included Oprah Winfrey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Queen Elizabeth II, Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Greta Thunberg. 

In addition to the men and women listed, 11% named a male relative or friend as the person they admired most and 10% named a female relative or friend.

Credit: AP
First lady Melania Trump stands with President Donald Trump, President Barack Obama, and former first lady Michelle Obama, as they pause on the steps of the East Front of the U.S. Capitol during a departure ceremony for Obama Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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