Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump to most admired American
Donald Trump is the least popular US President since World War Two.
And now it seems like his presidential authority has been damaged by the unpopularity – as a new poll reveals his predecessor is still more popular.
Barack Obama edged his successor as the most admired man in America for 2017, a Gallup poll found, marking the first time since 2008 when a sitting president hasn’t won the annual accolade.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is the woman Americans most admire for the 16th year in a row.
Both Obama and Clinton have been outspoken advocates for LGBT rights during their political lives, with Clinton producing an entire manifesto of commitments at the 2016 presidential election.
The Democratic nominee won 2.9 million more votes than Trump, but lost the election due to the electoral college system.
17 per cent of those surveyed named Obama as the man they most admire, compared with 14 per cent for Trump.
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There was a wide partisan split, with 35 per cent of Republicans saying Trump was most admired man of the year, and 39 percent of Democrats picking Obama.
“Trump’s unpopularity is holding him back from winning the most admired distinction,” Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones wrote.
“The incumbent president is the usual winner, since he is arguably the most prominent figure in the country — but when the president is unpopular, other well-known and well-liked men have been able to finish first.”
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The Republican maverick shocked pundits and politicians when he won the 2016 presidential election.
But things soon took a nose dive in the polls.
His approval ratings, though lower than some predecessors, were at a reasonable 44 per cent on 20 January.
They slowly declined from 44.8 per cent in January, to just over 40 per cent by the end of May.
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Since the Trans military ban was declared, President Trump has seen a significant decline in support.
President Obama asked the Pentagon to lift its long-held ban on transgender soldiers serving openly in the military in June 2016.
At the nine month mark he is now the most unpopular president since Harry S. Truman, the United States’ 33rd president, who entered office in 1945.
Just 37 per cent of Americans approve of his job performance, the lowest for any president at nine months in office in polling dating to 1946.
59 per cent disapprove, a new high for the 45th president.
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This includes half of Americans who say they disapprove “strongly” – twice as many as strongly approve of President Trump.
Most voters also say he is failing to deliver on key campaign promises, up 14 per cent from April to 55 per cent.
That figure is lower than the worst rating on this question for either of his two predecessors throughout their two terms in office.
