President Trump and Barack Obama are locked in a dead heat as 2019’s most admired man, according to a new study that underscores the political divide in America.
It was Trump’s first time earning the distinction and his predecessor’s 12th.
The Gallup poll, conducted each year since 1948, asked Americans to name which man and woman living anywhere in the world they admire most.
Of the people surveyed between Dec. 2 and 15, 18 percent of respondents named both Obama and Trump. But the results were predictably split along party lines — with 41 percent of Democrats naming Obama and 45 percent of Republicans choosing Trump.
After the two presidents, no other man was mentioned by more than 2 percent of respondents.
Rounding out the top 10 men this year were President Jimmy Carter, businessman Elon Musk, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Pope Francis, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Adam Schiff, the Dalai Lama and Warren Buffet.
For the second year in a row, Michelle Obama was named the most admired woman in America.
According to Gallup, the sitting president is typically Americans’ choice for most admired man, taking the honor in 58 of the 72 prior polls.
“Trump is more popular now than he was in the past two years, with a 45 percent job approval rating, among his best as president,” Gallup noted in a press release.
The results come despite Trump becoming the third president in history to be impeached by Congress earlier this month.
“Coincident with the rise in his job approval rating, the 18 percent of Americans currently naming Trump as the most admired man is also up, from 13 percent in 2018 and 14 percent in 2017,” Gallup said.
First lady Melania Trump was voted the second-most admired woman in the world, followed by Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton and climate change activist Greta Thunberg tied for third place.
The remainder of the top 10 women included Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.