If the world were a Harry Potter book, Barack Obama would belong to Gryffindor and President Donald Trump would be part of Slytherin—or, so the data says.
This summer, Harry Potter’s wizarding world returns with four new nonfiction ebooks revolving around Hogwarts lessons. It’s been more than 20 years since the chronicles of The Boy Who Lived began, and the popular franchise continues to grow in a way that captures more readers than Devil’s Snare.
In honor of the modern digital expansions, YouGov asked Americans to act as a collective Sorting Hat to a selection of celebrities, politicians and sports stars into the four Hogwarts houses. The YouGov poll surveyed all muggles, not just Harry Potter fanatics.
People were most likely to sort modern political figures into Slytherin, including Trump. More than one-third (33%) of people surveyed placed him in the Hogwarts house known for ambition and cunning. Trump is joined in Slytherin tower by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (26%) and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (22%).
Slytherin’s rival Hogwarts house, Gryffindor, lays claim to Obama (22%). He is the only political figure polled who was not most commonly placed in Slytherin by Americans.
If American politicians are generally Slytherins, the talk show hosts who often provide commentary on their antics are primarily Hufflepuffs. Jimmy Fallon embodies the most traits of a Hufflepuff with more than one in five (22%) placing The Tonight Show host in the Hogwarts house of hard work, patience, and loyalty. Fallon shares the golden badger colors with daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (21%) and The Late Late Show host James Corden (19%). Late Night’s Seth Meyers is also sorted into Hufflepuff (15%) by most Americans.
The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert — who is often called “intelligent” and “quick-witted” by his fans, according to YouGov Ratings data — is sorted into Ravenclaw (15%), with his Hufflepuff and Slytherin rankings tied at 13%. HBO’s Last Week Tonight host, John Oliver, is also mostly sorted into Ravenclaw, as well. Oliver, a three-time Emmy Award winner, is often described as funny, intelligent, quick-witted, and articulate.
Oliver and British counterpart Corden are the least likely talk show hosts to be considered Slytherins. The most likely Gryffindors of the talk show group are Oprah Winfrey (19%) and DeGeneres (17%).
In the magical world of music, Katy Perry (18%) and Taylor Swift (20%) are both sorted into Hufflepuff. Singer John Legend is placed in Gryffindor (17%) and model Chrissy Teigen is considered a Hufflepuff (14%).
How would you sort America’s popular figures? Cast your own vote. Sign up to become a panelist here and learn more about YouGov RealTime polls. See the full survey results here.
Related: Adam West is America's favorite Batman, thanks to Boomers
Image: Getty
