First Lady Melania Trump ranked second-to-last in a new popularity survey of recent first ladies, while her husband’s 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, secured the lowest position and became the nation’s least favored, according to a recent YouGov poll.
The poll asked 2,255 Americans earlier this month to rate the 11 most recent first ladies on a scale ranging from “outstanding” to “poor.” The responses revealed a stark assessment of the current first lady’s public standing.
Thirty-six percent of those surveyed rated Melania Trump as “poor,” with an additional 10 percent deeming her “below average.” On the other hand, about 18 percent viewed her as “outstanding,” and 12 percent said she was “above average,” resulting in a net approval score of negative 16 points.
However, former First Lady Hillary Clinton narrowly surpassed Melania for the lowest ranking. The survey showed roughly 33 percent rated Clinton as “poor,” and 11 percent as “below average,” giving her a net score of negative 17 points. Clinton lost the 2016 presidential race to Donald Trump, a historically divisive election that still influences national politics.
At the opposite end, Jacqueline Kennedy emerged as the most admired first lady, earning a net rating of positive 56 points. Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan followed with positive 32 and positive 25, respectively.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also ranked highly, with 51 percent rating her as “outstanding” or “above average” — the second-best combined score among the 11 first ladies — leading to a net approval of positive 21 points. About 22 percent rated her “poor.”
The survey also highlighted a notable trend in how Americans assess first ladies in relation to their presidential spouses. “Opinion of first ladies generally is politically polarized in a similar way to opinion of their husbands,” YouGov noted in its report.
President Donald Trump received the highest percentage of “poor” responses among the 20 presidents evaluated — 48 percent labeled his presidency “poor” and another 6 percent called it “below average.” Still, his net score of negative 20 points placed him as the second-worst overall, behind former President Biden.
Former President Joe Biden was rated the second least popular president; 38 percent said he performed “poorly,” while 12 percent rated him “below average.” His net approval reached negative 27 points, making him the least popular of the 20 presidents surveyed — five points below Trump’s negative 20 — despite Trump receiving the highest share of “poor” ratings.
Former President Richard Nixon followed as the third least popular president, with 27 percent rating him “poor” and 21 percent calling him “below average.”
Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and George Washington were viewed as America’s most admired presidents. Seventy-four percent rated Lincoln as “outstanding” or “above average,” while 66 percent gave Kennedy similar marks and 65 percent did so for Washington. Kennedy’s net approval reached positive 61 points, closely matching the admiration shown for his wife Jacqueline, who earned positive 56.
The trend extended to several presidential couples. Ronald and Nancy Reagan each received similar ratings — positive 22 and positive 25, respectively. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were also closely aligned at positive 15 and positive 21.
Hillary Clinton was the only first lady to score significantly lower than her spouse. Former President Bill Clinton received a net rating of negative 3 points — still unfavorable, but much higher than Hillary’s negative 17.
The poll’s timing coincided with renewed focus on Melania Trump following the release of “Melania,” a contentious 104-minute documentary. Its opening weekend brought in $7 million, but revenue dropped 67 percent to $2.37 million the following week. Over two weekends, the documentary earned $13.35 million domestically — respectable for its genre but far below the $75 million Amazon invested in acquiring and promoting it. Amazon reportedly spent $40 million purchasing rights and $35 million on marketing, figures The Hollywood Reporter described as “the most expensive” documentary deal ever recorded.
In similar polling from 2023, Melania performed slightly better than she does now. At that time, 39 percent rated her as “poor” or “below average,” compared to 37 percent who gave Hillary Clinton the same assessment.
The survey, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, illustrates how strongly partisan divides influence Americans’ perceptions of both first ladies and presidents during a period of intense political polarization.
