A new survey has found that Americans view former first lady Michelle Obama more favourably than any of the other recent first ladies included in the poll, while current first lady Melania Trump received a more divided set of ratings. The poll, conducted by YouGov between 2 and 5 February among 2,255 US adults, asked…
According to the results, 51% of respondents said they had a favourable view of Michelle Obama, compared with 35% who said they viewed her unfavourably and 14% who said they did not know. Former first lady Laura Bush was viewed favourably by 47% and unfavourably by 26%, with 27% saying they did not know. Hillary Clinton was viewed favourably by 42% and unfavourably by 48%, with 10% saying they did not know.
Melania Trump’s ratings were closer to an even split. In the poll, 38% of respondents said they viewed her favourably, while 40% said they viewed her unfavourably. A further 21% said they did not know.
The findings were published as Melania Trump has returned to the White House for a second non-consecutive term as first lady, after serving from 2017 to 2021. Born in Slovenia, she became a naturalised US citizen and is among the small number of foreign-born first ladies in US history.
In public life, she has often maintained a lower profile than some of her predecessors, an approach that has shaped how she is perceived and discussed, particularly during periods of intense political polarisation around her husband, President Donald Trump.
In recent weeks, Melania Trump has also promoted a new documentary film project focused on her return to the role. A UNILAD report on the YouGov findings noted that the poll results came as her documentary “Melania” was being discussed publicly, and cited remarks attributed to an interview with CNN in which she described being “much busier” in her second term and said: “I have more experience and knowledge. I was in the White House before.”
Separately, the Associated Press reported that the documentary premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington ahead of a global release, and that Melania Trump said the film would show viewers the work involved in returning to the White House after time away from public office. “I want to show the audience my life, what it takes to be a first lady again and (the) transition from private citizen back to the White House,” she told reporters, according to the AP.
The AP described the documentary as covering around 20 days leading up to President Trump’s return to the White House, and reported that it was produced by AmazonMGM Studios and would later stream on Amazon Prime Video after a theatrical run. The AP said the film was “said to have cost $40 million”.
At the premiere, President Trump praised the film, telling reporters: “It really brings back a glamour that you just don’t see anymore. Our country can use a little bit of that, right?”
The documentary has also renewed attention on the broader question of how first ladies are judged, and how those views evolve over time. The YouGov poll’s comparatively high “don’t know” figure for Melania Trump, at 21%, stood out against Hillary Clinton’s 10% and Michelle Obama’s 14%, suggesting a larger share of the public either feels less familiar with Melania Trump’s work, or is reluctant to offer an opinion.
For Laura Bush, the largest “don’t know” figure, 27%, may reflect the longer period since she was in the role, as well as her reduced presence in day-to-day political debate compared with figures more directly tied to current partisan divides.
The poll provides a snapshot of sentiment rather than an explanation for why respondents hold those views. YouGov’s methodology notes that interviews were conducted online and the results were weighted to be representative of US adults.
Melania Trump’s public initiatives as first lady have included her “Be Best” programme, launched during President Trump’s first term, which focused on children’s wellbeing and online safety, among other themes.
The AP also reported that, in the first year of President Trump’s second term, Melania Trump’s “record centers on the well-being and safety of children”, and referenced her support for measures targeting the non-consensual sharing of intimate images online.
The YouGov results place her in a different position from Michelle Obama, who remains one of the most recognisable political spouses of the modern era and has retained high name recognition in the years since leaving the White House.
They also place her above Hillary Clinton in net favourability, though Clinton’s numbers continue to reflect her unique status as both a former first lady and a long-running political figure whose career has generated strong support and strong opposition over decades.
In the UNILAD report, the poll was framed as highlighting how Americans “really feel” about Melania Trump compared with other first ladies, drawing attention both to her relatively higher unfavourable figure and to the fact that she was the only person in the group with unfavourable views that edged above favourable views.
Whether opinions shift over time may depend on how visible Melania Trump chooses to be in the second term and how closely her public work becomes associated with major national issues. For now, the YouGov poll suggests her standing is more contested than that of several predecessors, with a substantial share of Americans either holding negative views or saying they do not know enough to judge.