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Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama tied as most admired man of 2019, poll says

It is Obama's 12th year in a row topping the list by Gallup and Trump's first.
Credit: AP
In this Nov. 10, 2016 photo, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Editor's Note: The video above was published in July 2019.

President Donald Trump is tied with former President Barack Obama for Gallup's most admired man of the year, according to its latest poll. 18 percent of respondents named either the current or former president as the man they most admire.

It is Obama's 12th time in a row topping Gallup's list and Trump's first. The results were based on an open-ended poll in which participants were asked which man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most. Trump was the second-most admired man in 2017, with 14 percent of respondents choosing the current president.

It's not shocking that this year's poll shows a clear partisan divide among the two top men. More Democrats said they admired Obama, whereas more Republicans supported Trump. President Obama had a slightly more non-partisan fan base, with three percent of Republicans and 12 percent of independents chose Obama as their most admired man whereas two percent of Democrats and 10 percent of independents chose President Trump.

Credit: AP
In this Nov. 10, 2016 photo, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Among the top ten most admired men this year were President Jimmy Carter, businessman Elon Musk, philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Pope Francis, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, California Rep. Adam Schiff, the Dalai Lama, and investor Warren Buffett. However, aside from Trump and Obama, no man was mentioned by more than two percent of participants. 

According to Gallup, the current president has typically been Americans' choice as most admired man, earning the top spot in 58 of the past 72 polls. Gallup said when the current president is not the choice, it is usually because of political unpopularity.

RELATED: Michelle Obama is the most admired woman in the world, new poll says

RELATED: Michelle Obama is most admired woman in America, poll finds

Former first lady Michelle Obama topped the list for Gallup's most admired woman of the year for the second year in a row. She was named by 10 percent of participants, making her the only woman mentioned in the double digits. First lady Melania Trump was the second most admired woman and was mentioned by 5 percent of recipients.

The rest of the list included Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. 

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