U.S.
Donald Trump Ties With Pope Francis in Poll for Second Most Admired Man in World
By Michele Gorman On 12/28/15 at 10:39 AM

Donald Trump may currently be a divisive figure in U.S. politics, but according to a new Gallup poll, Americans share the same admiration for the Republican presidential front-runner as they do for Pope Francis. With 5 percent each, the Donald and the Holy Father tied in the poll for the second most admirable man in the world.

Topping the annual list was President Barack Obama, who led the men's category with 17 percent of support. This marks Obama’s eighth time in the No. 1 spot. Typically, Americans name the sitting U.S. president as the most admired man, according to Gallup, which released its most recent poll on Monday. Obama is now tied with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan for top overall No. 1 finishes among men in the poll. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower was named the most admired man 12 times.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic front-runner, won the most admirable woman by a large margin—13 percent of the vote. Clinton landed at the top for a record 20th time. During her lifetime, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was named most admired woman 13 times, putting her second to Clinton overall.

Pakistani activist and youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who took the prize in 2014, placed second to Clinton with 5 percent, followed by first lady Michelle Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey in third, with 4 percent each. Other women included in the top 10 were Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Below Obama, Trump and Francis were Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders with 3 percent and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates with 2 percent. Also included on the list of the top 10 men were retired neurosurgeon and Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and former President George W. Bush.

The poll was conducted among 824 adults nationwide between December 2 and 6. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Francis, 78, the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, is viewed by many around the globe as a progressive religious leader because of his significant rhetorical breaks with Catholic tradition, including his remarks on same-sex marriage. Ahead of his visit to the U.S. in September, 8 in 10 American Catholics said they approved of the direction in which he is leading the church.

Trump continues to dominate national polls as he makes public comments many deem controversial. The mogul’s first official test of the campaign cycle, the Iowa caucuses, will take place in a few weeks on February 1.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...is-poll-409277