Poll: Melania Trump’s approval up by double digits since inauguration

First lady Melania Trump’s approval rating has jumped by double digits since President Trump was inaugurated, according to a new poll.

The CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday found that 52 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Melania Trump, up from 36 percent before her husband took office. The current rating is also more than double where it was nearly a year ago — 24 percent in February 2016, according to CNN.

{mosads}The first lady’s approval has received a boost due to more Americans forming an opinion about her, CNN reported.

The poll found that 12 percent have no opinion of Melania Trump, compared with 23 percent prior to the inauguration.

The view of the first lady also splits sharply along party lines. The poll found 86 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Melania Trump, while just 22 percent of Democrats have a favorable view.

Compared with previous first ladies, Melania Trump’s margin along party lines is wider than that of Michelle Obama. Her predecessor had a 93 percent favorability among Democrats, and 50 percent among Republicans in April 2009, according to CNN.

Along gender lines, Melania Trump has a higher favorability with men than with women, the poll found.

It shows 58 percent of men and 46 percent of women view her positively.

The first lady has largely stayed out of the spotlight since Inauguration Day. She visited a hospital earlier this month and read to children there on National Read Across America Day. And on Wednesday, International Women’s Day, she hosted a luncheon at the White House. 

The CNN/ORC poll was conducted March 1-4 by telephone with 1,025 adult Americans.