Time named Donald Trump its person of the year for the second time

Time magazine has named Donald Trump its person of the year for the second time – he previously won the honor after winning the 2016 presidential election.

In a letter to readers, Time Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs credited Trump with “leading a comeback of historic proportions” and “promoting an unprecedented political realignment” that has reshaped American presidential regime and changing role of the United States. in the world.

The Republican president-elect rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to mark the honor with several members of his family chanting “USA.”

In an interview with Time magazine, Trump reiterated some of his plans for a second term.

He pledged to review the convictions of his supporters who rioted at the US Capitol in January 2021 “on a case-by-case basis”, having previously pledged to issue a pardon.

In other comments before ringing the stock exchange’s opening bell, he promised an “unprecedented economy” and he vowed to cut taxes “very significantly”.

Time magazine’s tradition – which began in 1927 with the “Man of the Year” title – recognizes an individual or movement that “for better or worse… has had the most influence on the events of the year”.

Other previous winners include climate change activist Greta Thunberg, former President Barack Obama, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Time Magazine’s editors will ultimately decide who wins the award.

The newspaper is considering 10 people for the person of the year award, including Vice President Kamala Harris, the Princess of Wales and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, now a close friend of Trump, assigned to lead a advisory board called the Department of Government Effectiveness.

In its description of Trump in its list of finalists, Time said he won the 2024 election “in an impressive political comeback.”

“He reshaped the American electorate, galvanizing young male voters who carried him to a decisive victory that helped him win the popular vote for the first time and turn every swing state turned red,” the newspaper said.

“His 2024 victory makes history in many ways: he will be the oldest President in US history and he was convicted by a New York jury earlier this year on 34 counts fraud, making him the first convicted felon elected President.” .”

Trump participated in an interview with this magazine in April this year during the election season. In wide-ranging discussions, Trump talked about his plans for a second term, including his goal of reforming the US immigration system and deporting millions of people.

Trump complained in 2015 when he was not chosen for the magazine cover in his first run for office, when the award went to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

But after being named person of the year following his election victory, he called it a “great honor”.

“It means a lot, especially since I grew up with Time magazine,” he said at the time. And you know, this is a very important magazine.”

However, he has continued to criticize the magazine’s choices since winning, including choosing Taylor Swift as its 2023 Person of the Year.