Melania Trump is far more popular than her husband, but she isn't the fairest, ahem, most well-liked, modern first lady of them all. Less than a month after the wife of President Donald Trump finally moved into the White House to join her spouse, the first lady's approval ratings have climbed by 14 points to 51 percent, a Fox News poll published Friday found.
More Americans are also less inclined to dislike Melania Trump than there were before her husband became president, the poll found. About 28 percent of voters don't view her favorably, while 35 percent viewed her unfavorably in December before he was sworn in.
Melania Trump's predecessor, in contrast, was beloved by Americans at this point in her husband's first term. Michelle Obama had a favorability rating of 73 percent in April 2009.
The wife of President George W. Bush, who served two terms before President Barack Obama, was also more popular than Melania Trump. Laura Bush's favorable ratings ranged between 63 percent and 80 percent during the Bush administration.
At the very least, Melania Trump is the most popular adult living in the White House right now. Her husband is viewed unfavorably by 51 percent of voters and favorably by 47 percent of voters, according to the Fox poll. The poll surveyed 1,017 voters from June 25-27. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
First ladies often are more popular than their husbands, pollster Gallup has explained, which "likely reflects that their role is far less controversial than that of the president, which often results in less-partisan ratings of the first lady."
Meanwhile, Melania Trump is roughly as popular as Hillary Clinton was when she was a few months into her husband's White House term in 1995. In March of that year, Hillary Clinton had a favorable rating of about 49 percent, while President Bill Clinton was liked by about 51 percent of Americans, Gallup found. Hillary Clinton lost her bid to become the first woman president in November to Melania Trump's husband.
