Donald Trump is Time’s “Person of the Year” for the second time, the magazine announced.
Despite his frequent criticism of the media, Trump was given the honor for the second time Thursday, following Taylor Swift who was last year’s recipient.
The president-elect previously earned the esteemed title in 2016, after he was first elected president.
“Trump’s political rebirth is unparalleled in American history. His first term ended in disgrace, with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol,” the magazine wrote.
“He spent six weeks during the general election in a New York City courtroom, the first former President to be convicted of a crime—a fact that did little to dampen his support,” the article continued.
On Thursday, Trump will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, a stone’s throw from the courthouse where a jury convicted him earlier this year.
After surviving an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, “he beat not one but two Democratic opponents, swept all seven swing states, and became the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years. He has realigned American politics, remaking the GOP and leaving Democrats reckoning with what went awry,” the magazine wrote. “If America was craving change, it is about to see how much Trump can deliver.”
He defeated a formidable shortlist of candidates: Vice President Kamala Harris, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, Elon Musk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yulia Navalnaya - the widow of former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell, podcaster Joe Rogan and Mexico’s first female president Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump is no stranger to seeing his face splash the covers of Time magazine. The then-real estate mogul was first featured on the cover in 1989, according to the Associated Press. He has lived many lives since then, entering into the entertainment world with his successful show The Apprentice and of course ultimately jumping into the political arena.
There is a nearly nine-decade long tradition of naming a president-elect as Person of the Year, according to the magazine.
His historic inauguration will take place on January 20, 2025.
