‘Most Admired Man’ Trump a force for 2024
In what must surely be vexing news for the anti-Trump crowd, the president was named the most admired man in America in the annual Gallup survey released Tuesday.
According to The Hill, that distinction ends former President Barack Obama’s 12-year-run with the title.
Democrats would be wise to use this as a teaching moment. Eighteen percent of the survey’s respondents named Trump as their most admired man, compared to 15% who named Obama and 6% who named President-elect Joe Biden. Three percent named National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, while 2% chose Pope Francis.
Rounding out the top 10 were Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and the Dalai Lama, all of whom received 1%. The most admired woman is former First Lady Michelle Obama.
The sitting U.S. president has been named the pollster’s mostadmired man in 60 out of 74 years. Trump had finished second to Obama in 2017 and 2018.
For those who have spent the last four years in a continuous stream of outrage, this year’s pick must seem baffling. The Mueller Report, the wall, the tweets, the firings — all of Donald Trump’s exploits during his tenure would seem to render him out of the running for admiration, if one listened only to the left.
About half the country does (51.4%), hence the election of Joe Biden.
But almost as many do not (46.9% voted for Trump).
And if the Democratic Party, leaders of the left and the mainstream media dismiss the election results and the sentiments of Trump fans quizzed by Gallup as “old news,” they are setting themselves up for a shock in 2024.
Among Republicans surveyed, 48% of respondents named Trump as their most admired man. No other public figure got more than 2% Republican support, according to Gallup. There may be members of the GOP who knock Trump for his fast-andloose approach to leading the country, but they are also cognizant that despite, or perhaps because of, the past tumultuous four years, the president has retained the admiration of his sizable group of supporters.
They aren’t going anywhere as Biden takes office, and will be watching how Trump’s economyfueling actions will fare under the new administration.
Of particular interest is the party infighting between progressives and centrists. Biden has already faced criticism over the dearth of progressives in his Cabinet picks.
A recent committee vote offers a cautionary tale for the left.
Squad star Alexandria OcasioCortez lost her bid this month for a seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. According to The Hill, that’s a plum post, giving lawmakers the chance to influence policies.
She was beaten by Rep. Kathleen Rice, a fellow Democrat and New Yorker.
Some senior Democrats, including on the Energy and Commerce panel, had privately voiced concerns about OcasioCortez landing the seat, according to The Hill. Some feared that AOC, who backs progressive priorities like the “Green New Deal” and “Medicare for All,” could cause issues as Congress attempts to draft bipartisan health and climate policies next year.
The ballot vote was secret. If some in the party are already leery of the progressives who are determined to take over, the implications four years from now, with President Trump remaining a strong presence in the GOP, and widely admired, could be dire for Dems.