With the book and magazine industries — plus the mainstream media — fawning ad nauseam over the former first lady, even now at the end of this year of 2018, it’s no wonder Michelle Obama has knocked Hillary Clinton off her most-admired-woman-by-Americans perch for the first time in 17 years.

That’s according to a newly released Gallup poll.

Close

Enter any Barnes & Noble bookseller shop, of course, and chances are you’ll see Michelle Obama’s bestselling memoir everywhere you look — not to mention her photograph gracing the covers of a myriad of glossies, despite her questionable-at-times fashion sense.

From Vogue to Essence to Glamour, from Redbook to Vanity Fair, scores of publications still feature Mrs. Obama.

Related: Barack Obama Says His Wife’s Book Is His Favorite of 2018

The public appetite for stories by her and about her seems insatiable — people can’t seem to get enough of her and the “progressive” narrative she embodies.

As for Hillary Clinton, it’s easy to see why Americans have soured now on the Democratic politician and former presidential candidate.

After her loss in the November 2016 election and her desperate attempts to remain relevant, the public — even many Democrats — are tired of her. And her “basket of deplorables” comment and the revelatory details from the Benghazi debacle, as well as from the email server scandal, continue to haunt her.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey finished second in the new Gallup poll, with five percent of the mentions; and Melania Trump and Hillary Clinton were tied in third place, with four percent of the mentions.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

And Gallup, it seems, buried the lead.

The fact that first lady Melania Trumped clinched third place in the poll is a huge accomplishment, as the hypocritical and left-leaning media have all but ignored and derided her from the instant her husband, Donald J. Trump, became president.

A legal immigrant, an icon of grace, elegance, and intellect, Melania Trump, who speaks five languages, has been unflappable amid a barrage of bullying from late-night talk show hosts, screeching comedians and so many others.

Related: Melania Trump Replies Graciously to the Media’s Mockery of Her Christmas Decor

Perhaps actor and vocal conservative James Wood said it best on Twitter not too long ago, as Newsweek and others have noted.

“If the Trumps were Democrats, Melania would be on every cover of every chic women’s magazine in the world every month.”

He also tweeted this:

It’s no secret American magazines have long been politically biased, favoring the Left and its liberal values over those on the Right — and widely influencing legions of young Americans, including those who respond to polls.

And it’s also not surprising — though it’s despicable — that some people on the Left have criticized Melania Trump for the sturdy yellow Timberland boots she wore this week during the surprise trip to the Al Asad Air Base in Iraq with her husband to visit American troops for the holidays.

Some people called out her practical choice of footwear, saying she was “out of touch.” They pointedly ignored the boost to the troops and the substance behind the visit.

And yet Michelle Obama can wear anything she pleases — including pricey dresses and boots — and that’s just fine with most of the media.

Rounding out the poll’s top 10 “most admired women” this year were Queen Elizabeth, Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nikki Haley — the outgoing U.S. ambassador of the United Nations — and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who came in last with a paltry 1 percent of the mentions.

Gallup’s annual survey, conducted December 3 to December 12 this year, asked some 1,000 Americans to name the man and woman living anywhere in the world today whom they admire most.

Gallup first asked the question in 1946 and has done so every year since, except 1976.

And check out this video:

Elizabeth Economou is a former CNBC staff writer and adjunct professor.