Melania Trump ranked near the bottom of a recent survey measuring how Americans view the First Ladies, with only Hillary Clinton receiving a lower net rating, according to a YouGov poll published on February 13.
The survey showed Melania Trump had a net rating of minus 16, putting her second from the bottom among the 11 most recent First Ladies included in the poll.
YouGov asked Americans to rate each First Lady on a scale from “outstanding” to “poor.” For Melania Trump, 46% of respondents rated her “poor” or “below average,” while 30% rated her “outstanding” or “above average,” resulting in the minus-16 net score. Hillary Clinton was the only First Lady ranked lower, at minus 17. Jill Biden also had a net rating of -9.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis topped the list with a strong showing at plus 56. Rosalynn Carter followed at plus 32, and Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Bush, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush all finished with positive net ratings as well.
“Figure 03” AI-powered robot accompanies first lady Melania Trump to a White House summit on empowering children with educational technology. pic.twitter.com/RShdfvEG38
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 25, 2026
YouGov noted that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Michelle Obama stood out most, with 60% and 51% of Americans rating them “outstanding” or “above average,” respectively.
Dagens reported the poll results on Monday, citing earlier coverage from The Independent on the survey’s findings. Dagens stated that the ranking adds to a mixed public record for Melania Trump, who often attracted attention for keeping a lower public profile than many recent first ladies. The latest YouGov numbers indicate she continues to divide opinion more sharply than most women in the role.
YouGov also compared ratings for first ladies with those of their husbands. The survey revealed that Melania Trump and President Donald Trump had similarly negative net ratings, with Melania at minus 16 and Trump at minus 20.
In contrast, several other first ladies outperformed their husbands by wider margins, including Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, and Rosalynn Carter. Hillary Clinton was the only first lady in the survey with a net score lower than her husband’s.
The survey was conducted online among 2,255 adult U.S. citizens during two periods from February 2 to February 5 and February 3 to February 5, according to YouGov. The company stated it used a stratified sample and weighted the results based on factors like gender, age, race, education, region, voter registration, and past voting behavior. It reported a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for the full sample.
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The first-lady findings were part of a larger YouGov survey asking Americans to rate 20 U.S. presidents and 11 first ladies. This poll found that opinions on modern political figures remain very polarized, especially along party lines. YouGov noted that views of First Ladies often reflect the same partisan split seen in ratings of their husbands, particularly for more recent administrations.
For Melania Trump, the poll ranks her just above Hillary Clinton in the latest standings of recent First Ladies. It also reveals that, while some First Ladies continue to receive widespread support across party lines years after leaving the White House, Melania Trump remains one of the most negatively rated figures to hold the role in modern history.
It’s worth noting that Clinton stands alone as a First Lady who held an elected political office position. The reception of Michelle and Melania’s documentaries reflects their perception in some ways. The current first lady was universally panned by critics while Michelle’s 2020 doc Becoming received high praise.
