The confines of Trump Tower appear to have shielded first lady Melania Trump from the negativity associated with the chaotic infancy of her husband’s presidency.
According to a CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday, a majority of Americans have a favorable view of the first lady, who has largely been out of the public eye since her husband, the least popular president to enter office in modern times, was sworn in on Jan. 20.
Fifty-two percent of Americans said they have a favorable view of Trump. Nearly a third, 32 percent, have an unfavorable view of her, while 3 percent have never heard of her and 12 percent have no opinion.
Trump has remained in Trump Tower raising her son, Barron, since her husband became president. She’s occasionally come to Washington and spent some weekends at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
The first lady hosted a White House luncheon Wednesday for International Women’s Day, with attendees including Ivanka Trump, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, second lady Karen Pence, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon.
Trump’s bump is a 16-point increase in favorability since President Donald Trump was inaugurated, when only 36 percent of Americans saw Melania Trump favorably.
By late February last year, Trump was seen favorably by only 24 percent of Americans, with 23 percent saying they hadn’t heard of her and another 21 percent having no opinion.
Days before Michelle Obama departed the White House for the last time, the outgoing first lady was seen favorably by nearly 70 percent of Americans, with 26 percent viewing her unfavorably and 5 percent having no opinion.
In Wednesday’s survey, Trump is seen most favorably among men (58 percent) and white Americans (60 percent). Seventy-two percent of men without degrees see her favorably, a 10-point jump over men with degrees. Among women with degrees, however, only 46 percent see view her favorably.
The survey of 1,025 adults was conducted March 1-4 via landlines and cellphones. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.