Time magazine has named US President-elect Donald Trump its Person of the Year, citing his deep impact on American politics and the country's role in the world.
"For marshalling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America's role in the world, Donald Trump is Time's 2024 Person of the Year," Time Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs wrote in a letter to readers.
The news magazine had previously bestowed the Person of the Year title to Trump in 2016 after his first presidential election victory. It named Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Person of the Year in 2020 after they defeated Trump. Pop star Taylor Swift received the title last year.
The latest Person of the Year issue features a wide-ranging interview with Trump conducted on November 25 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
In it, Trump sharply criticised Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles deep into Russian territory.
"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. That should not have been allowed to be done.
"Now they're doing not only missiles, but they're doing other types of weapons. And I think that's a very big mistake, very big mistake."
Trump said he will not abandon Ukraine, however.
"I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you're going to reach an agreement is not to abandon," he said.
He also said he will have a "big discussion" about ending childhood vaccination programs with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, his nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, and that his new administration could scrap some vaccines.
To commemorate the Time selection, Trump rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange, where he was cheered.
Speaking at the exchange, Trump said the award was “a tremendous honour.”
“Time magazine, getting this honour for the second time, I think I like it better this time actually,” he said.
Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance, grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day on Thursday. He then raised his fist. Business leaders including Goldman Sachs Chief Executive David Solomon and Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser were also present.
In remarks to CNBC at the NYSE, Trump repeated his plans to boost domestic oil drilling and to lower corporate taxes to 15 per cent for US-made products.
“I think we’re going to have a tremendous run. We have to straighten out some problems, some big problems in the world,” he said.
The bell ringing signifies the start of the trading day at the world's largest stock exchange and is considered an honour. It has historically been reserved for company executives celebrating an initial public offering or other major corporate milestones, but celebrities and politicians like Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela and Arnold Schwarzenegger have also rung it.
with AP
