TIME Magazine announced on Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump has been named TIME’s “2024 Person of the Year,” marking the second time Trump has earned the recognition from the publication (he previously won the honor after winning the presidential election in 2016).
In his letter to readers, Time Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs credited Trump with “marshalling a comeback of historic proportions” and “driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment” that has altered the United State’s role in the world. TIME said that Trump had won the 2024 election “in a stunning political comeback” and “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. 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.”
Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to mark the honor alongside several of his family members. The TIME feature story includes an interview with Trump, joined by his wife Melania Trump and daughters Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump – as well Vice President-elect JD Vance and various Cabinet picks, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pam Bondi and Scott Bessent. Trump said: “This is an honor, a tremendous honor. I brought some of our patriots along with us. They’re going to do a beautiful job for you for the next four years, and it’s really been something very special.”
In his interview with the magazine, Trump discussed immigration, abortion, the economy and his incoming administration. He vowed to looked “case-by-case” at the convictions of his supporters who rioted at the US Capitol in January 2021, having previously pledged to issue pardons: “Well, we’re going to look at each individual case, and we’re going to do it very quickly, and it’s going to start in the first hour that I get into office. And a vast majority of them should not be in jail. A vast majority should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely.”
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