First Lady Melania Trump placed second-to-last in a new survey measuring the popularity of recent first ladies, while her husband’s 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton, ranked at the very bottom, according to a YouGov poll released this week.
The survey asked 2,255 Americans earlier this month to evaluate the 11 most recent first ladies on a scale from “outstanding” to “poor.” The results show a significant split in public opinion about the current first lady.
Thirty-six percent of respondents rated Melania Trump as “poor,” with another 10 percent saying she was “below average.” On the positive side, about 18 percent considered her “outstanding” and 12 percent rated her “above average.” Her overall approval resulted in a net negative score of 16 points.
Hillary Clinton fared even worse. Roughly 33 percent labeled her “poor,” while 11 percent said she was “below average,” leading to an overall net score of negative 17 points. Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump in the contentious 2016 election, continues to spark strong opinions among the public.
At the other end of the rankings, Jacqueline Kennedy was overwhelmingly the most admired first lady, earning a net positive score of 56 points. Rosalynn Carter followed with 32 points, and Nancy Reagan with 25.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama also scored well, with 51 percent rating her as “outstanding” or “above average”—the second-highest combined rating among the 11 women. Her net rating reached a positive 21 points, though 22 percent still considered her “poor.”
The report also underscored a broader pattern in how Americans view first ladies and presidents. “Opinion of first ladies generally is politically polarized in a similar way to opinion of their husbands,” YouGov noted in its analysis.
President Donald Trump received the highest share of “poor” ratings among the 20 presidents surveyed—48 percent rated his presidency “poor” and another 6 percent called it “below average.” Even so, his net score of negative 20 points ranked as the second worst, ahead of Biden.
Former President Joe Biden finished as the least popular president, with 38 percent saying he was “poor” and 12 percent calling him “below average,” giving him a net rating of negative 27 points. Only 7 percent viewed him as “outstanding.” Although Trump had a greater share of “poor” ratings, Biden’s net score placed him last.
Former President Richard Nixon ranked third in unpopularity, with 27 percent labeling him “poor” and 21 percent saying he was “below average.”
The presidents who earned the strongest marks were Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and George Washington. Seventy-four percent rated Lincoln as “outstanding” or “above average,” compared to 66 percent for Kennedy and 65 percent for Washington. Kennedy’s net score of positive 61 was close to the favorable rating given to his wife Jacqueline, at positive 56.
This pattern appeared among several presidential couples. Ronald and Nancy Reagan received nearly identical net scores—positive 22 and positive 25. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama also scored similarly at positive 15 and positive 21.
Hillary Clinton was the only first lady whose rating was sharply worse than her husband’s. Former President Bill Clinton had a net score of negative 3 points—still below average but much higher than Hillary’s negative 17.
The poll’s release comes as interest in the current first lady rises following the premiere of “Melania,” a 104-minute documentary that has stirred widespread discussion. The film earned $7 million its opening weekend, but box office revenue fell 67 percent to $2.37 million the following weekend. After two weeks, it reached $13.35 million domestically—a respectable figure for a documentary, though well below the $75 million Amazon invested. Amazon paid $40 million for the rights and spent an additional $35 million on marketing, which The Hollywood Reporter described as “the most expensive” documentary deal ever.
Additional Economist/YouGov polling from January and February 2026 showed both Melania and Donald Trump with 41 percent favorable ratings, indicating that public perceptions of the couple remain closely linked.
In a comparable 2023 YouGov survey, Melania Trump performed slightly better. At that time, 39 percent rated her as “poor” or “below average,” compared to 37 percent who gave Hillary Clinton the same ratings.
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, highlights how partisan divisions continue to influence Americans’ views of first ladies and presidents during a period of intense political polarization.