Donald Trump has once again become Time magazine’s coveted “Person of the Year”, securing the annual recognition for a second time in less than a decade.
The president-elect, who previously won the title in 2016, beat out a shortlist of Vice-President Kamala Harris; Catherine, Princess of Wales; the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum; the billionaire Elon Musk and the podcast sensation Joe Rogan.
The title – historically bestowed on figures who have dramatically shaped global events, from world leaders to cultural revolutionaries – serves as a barometric reading of contemporary significance. Every US president since Franklin D Roosevelt – save for Gerald Ford – has worn the crown at least once, making Time’s annual selection a sort of presidential rite of passage.
Now a two-time winner, the title also underscores Trump’s persistent gravitational pull on the global narrative, despite – or perhaps because of – his tumultuous political trajectory, which culminated in a decisive presidential election win in November.
Trump told Time in an interview alongside his appointment that one of his first official acts as president would be to pardon most of the rioters accused or convicted of storming the Capitol to block the certification of Biden’s victory.
“It’s going to start in the first hour,” he says. “Maybe the first nine minutes.”
The president-elect also told the magazine about his thoughts on ending the war in Ukraine.
“The Middle East is an easier problem to handle than what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine. The numbers of dead young soldiers lying on fields all over the place are staggering. It’s crazy what’s taking place,” he said, before taking aim at Kyiv for launching US-made missiles into Russian territory last month: “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse.”
Trump went on to say that he would use US support for Ukraine as leverage against Russia in an effort to end the war.
“I want to reach an agreement,” he said, “and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon”.
On inflation, Trump told Time he would going to work on specifically lowering the price of groceries.
“It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up,” he said. “You know, it’s very hard.”
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Beyond the latest accolade, Trump has been on Time’s cover three times this year.
While he first appeared on the cover in 1989, Trump’s relationship with the magazine has long been fickle. Once dismissing the 100 most influential persons list as a “joke and stunt”, he has simultaneously craved its validation.
In 2015, when the then German chancellor Angela Merkel got the nod, Trump posted on Twitter: “I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite [sic] They picked [sic] person who is ruining Germany.”
When he was revealed as the cover winner the following year, Trump told NBC News “to be on the cover of Time as Person of the Year is a tremendous honor”.
His 2024 recognition arrives amid a similar political moment. Trump joins a list of 14 US presidents honored by the magazine.