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Trump and Obama, the most admired men of the year 1:26
(CNN) - Every year, Gallup asks Americans who they admire most. In 2019, there was a tie between two men who are as different as possible.
Both President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama were elected as the most admired man in the United States by 18% of the people, the only two who got two digits in the question. (Former first lady Michelle Obama was the top choice among Americans as the most admired woman, with 10%. First lady Melania Trump came in second with 5%.)
The breakdown by game about the most admired man was, well, exactly how you would think it would be. More than 4 in 10 Republicans (45%) named Trump as the man they most admired, while a similar number of Democrats (41%) named Obama.
A similar number of independent politicians chose Trump (10%) and Obama (12%) as their most admired man. (In a very rare category, 2% of Democrats said Trump was his most admired man, while 3% of Republicans said he admired Obama more. Quéeeee?).
This is the first time that Trump has been the most admired man in the United States (or at least tied in honor). In the last two years he ended up behind Obama, a somewhat strange result given that of the 72 years that Gallup has been asking the question, the president in office has been the most admired man in the United States in 58 of them. But as Trump has become a bit more popular, up to 45% in Gallup data, his admiration numbers have also increased.
(The other men who entered the most admired list? Former President Jimmy Carter, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Pope Francis, Bernie Sanders, Adam Schiff, Dalai Lama and Warren Buffett. However, none of them received more than 2% of the votes.)
LOOK : Trump accused Obama in 2011 of seeking a war with Iran to be re-elected president
That Trump and Obama are tied as the most admired man in the country, and that people are deeply divided in partisan lines about that election, it says a lot about where we are as a country.
Everything, literally everything, is now not only dyed but soaked with partisanship and political rancor. From Ricky Gervais to Colin Kaepernick and vice versa, every important figure in the culture has seen its image and words used to gain political points. (Many celebrities have chosen that route voluntarily).
The political party, or at least partisan affiliation, has become the sine qua non condition of our current moment. Who you are, what you like and, yes, who you admire, depends almost entirely on which group you join. Which, yes, sounds right.
Barack ObamaDonald Trump
