Unlike her husband, more Americans have a favorable opinion of the First Lady than an unfavorable one
First Lady Melania Trump has become the most popular Trump in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll. She is more popular than her husband, and more popular than First Daughter Ivanka.
Michelle Obama was also more popular than her husband in early 2010. That is typical of First Ladies, who frequently are liked more than their political husbands, even when many Americans evaluate them politically. However, Mrs. Trump is a little less popular than Mrs. Obama was one year into her husband’s presidency. [Mr. Trump is also less popular than Barack Obama was one year into his presidency.]
Public opinion of both women comes with a partisan overlay: in January 2010, 64% of Republicans had an unfavorable opinion of Michelle Obama. Today, 61% of Democrats feel negatively about Mrs. Trump. Nearly all Republicans hold a favorable view of the current First Lady. Nearly all Democrats liked Michelle Obama in 2010.
The First Lady is the only member of the Trump family to improve in public estimation in the last year. At the start of the Trump Presidency, Mrs. Trump and the President’s daughter Ivanka were equally popular. Now Americans are as likely to have a negative view of the First Daughter as a positive one, but they remain favorable towards Mrs. Trump.
Opinion of the President’s two adult sons was divided in February, with about as many holding a positive as a negative opinion of each of them. Now evaluations of Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump are clearly negative. Ivanka Trump’s husband Jared Kushner also has gone down in public estimation.
