Washington, December 29: United States President Donald Trump ranked as the most admired man, whereas, former First Lady Michelle Obama was named as the most admired woman in the survey conducted by Gallup for the year 2020. The list is based upon a poll conducted by the agency among average Americans, asking them open-ended questions.

This is the first time in last 12 years when former president Barack Obama has been edged past in the Gallup list of most admired men in the US. This year, he has ranked at the second spot. This, according to analysts, is due to a split in vote of Democrats. Donald Trump Awards Himself Nobel Prize for Israel-Arab Peace Deal? Watch Video Shared by US President.

Americans ideologically affiliated to Democrats earlier voted enmasse for Obama as the most admired man in the Gallup survey. This time, however, 13 percent of the respondents felt they were more admired by President-elect Joe Biden. 5 percent of the Democrats also voted in favour of Dr Anthony Fauci, the head of US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

While Biden ranked third on the list, Dr Fauci is fourth, followed by Pope Francis and businessman Elon Musk at fifth and sixth spots, respectively. Senator Bernie Sanders, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ranked seventh and eighth.

Among most admired women, Michelle was placed at the top spot, followed by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris second, and First Lady Melania Trump third. The list also includes actress Oprah Winfrey (fourth), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (fifth), ex-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (sixth), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (seventh) and Queen Elizabeth II (eighth).

This was the third consecutive year when Michelle topped the list. Although the former First Lady has not unveiled political plans, US political watchers claim her entry into the fray of 2024 presidential aspirants could not be ruled out. Her answer, so far on the speculation, has remained "no".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2020 11:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).