Social Media Trashes ‘TIME’ Naming Trump Person of The Year

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Donald Trump has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of The Year for the second time, and social media users displeased at the choice made their opinions known.

On Thursday (December 12), TIME Magazine announced that President-elect Donald Trump would be its Person of The Year for the second time. He had graced the cover of the publication after winning the presidential election back in 2016. To commemorate the occasion, Trump was at the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan to ring the opening bell as his family stood nearby. Chants of “U-S-A!!” could be heard during the moment. “He has reshaped the American electorate, activating young male voters who propelled him to a decisive victory that saw him win the popular vote for the first time and turn every swing state red,” the outlet wrote in the issue.

“His 2024 win is history-making in multiple ways: he will be the oldest President in U.S. history, and he was convicted earlier this year by a New York jury of 34 counts of fraud, making him the first convicted felon to be elected President.”

Time’s editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs praised Trump in the magazine, writing: “On the cusp of his second presidency, all of us — from his most fanatical supporters to his most fervent critics — are living in the Age of Trump.” Trump himself has unsurprisingly had a turbulent relationship with TIME Magazine – while he praised TIME as a “very important” publication and said being named person of the year in 2016 was a “tremendous honor”. But he would sour on the outlet’s description of him being “president of the divided states of America.” He also blasted the magazine in 2011 for leaving him off a list of influential people, claiming it had “lost all credibility”. In 2013, upset over another snub, he stated that TIME would soon go out of business. He’s also criticized other Person of The Year choices, including pop superstar Taylor Swift who nabbed the honor last year.

The news of Trump’s becoming TIME’s Person of The Year was met with disbelief by many, including those on social media. Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris was on the shortlist for the honor, as well as Catherine, Princess of Wales and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is a close advisor to Trump and poised to be head of the Department of Government Efficiency.