Jimmy Carter named most trusted U.S. politician in new poll

Eric Pfeiffer
·Reporter

Americans really, really trust Hollywood. They are, however, far more skeptical of Washington, D.C.

A new survey on the most trusted people in America finds actors taking the top three spots: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Denzel Washington. The first politician to appear on the list is former President Jimmy Carter, who comes in at number 24.

Carter, 88, often referred to as the most successful ex-president in American history, has earned bipartisan praise since leaving office for his work on behalf of various humanitarian causes.

During his successful 1976 presidential campaign, Carter won over a majority of American voters with his “Trust Me” campaign slogan.

The surveyed asked 1,000 participants who they trusted the most and was conducted by The Wagner Group for Readers Digest.

President Obama made the list as well but came in at number 65.

According to the list, Obama was edged out by none other than Adam Sandler, named the 64th most trusted person in America.

No other former president made the list, though Hillary Clinton, a potential 2016 candidate, came in at number 51.

The president was also far outclassed by his own wife. Michelle Obama was the top-ranked Washingtonian on the list, coming in at number 19. Unless you count Clint Eastwood, came in at number 13 on the list.

Obama did edge out Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was listed number 66 in the poll.

The most popular judicial figure on the list? Well, that would be Judith Sheindlin, “Judge Judy,” who beat out all nine Supreme Court justices, coming in at number 29 on the list.

Of course, all of these numbers are slightly skewed. Reader’s Digest notes that the top three choices, by far, were “your own doctor” (77%), “your own spiritual adviser” (71%), and “your own child’s current teacher” (66%). Those responses were removed to focus on public figures.

Some other interesting names in the top 100:

  • TV cooking host Rachel Ray (31) edged out former Secretary of State Colin Powell (32)

  • Star Wars creator George Lucas (42) is more trusted than Chief Justice John Roberts (44).

  • The top 10 was dominated by Hollywood figures, including Meryl Street (4), Steven Spielberg (6) and Julia Roberts (10).

They are all, apparently, more trusted than 2012 Nobel Prize-winning chemist Robert J. Lefkowitz, who was named the 11th most trusted person in America.