Trump White House Archived / Flickr
CV NEWS FEED // The editors of TIME have chosen President-elect Donald Trump as the magazine’s Person of the Year at the conclusion of a year marked by two assassination attempts against him, a multi-layered election contest against two Democratic nominees, and a historic win of the presidential election carried by both the popular vote and every swing state.
TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs wrote that there was essentially no contest about who would be this year’s pick, which is a somewhat rare occurrence.
“Since he began running for President in 2015, perhaps no single individual has played a larger role in changing the course of politics and history than Trump,” Jacobs wrote.
When Trump, running as the Republican nominee, bested the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 and became President of the United States for the first time, many were shocked. TIME named him Person of the Year in 2016, too.
The conclusion of the next election in 2020, however, appeared to indicate the end of Trump’s political career, Jacobs wrote.
But Trump did not stop there — he ran for President again, and this November, succeeded.
“Trump has remade American politics in the process,” Jacobs wrote after recounting key moments on Trump’s campaign trail this year, including the July 16 assassination attempt at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, and Trump’s win against Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in the summer.
TIME National Political Correspondent Eric Cortellessa wrote in another TIME piece spotlighting Trump: “He has realigned American politics, remaking the GOP and leaving Democrats reckoning with what went awry.”
TIME has been choosing a Person of the Year since 1927, spotlighting the person “who, for better or for worse, did the most to shape the world and the headlines over the past 12 months,” Jacobs explained in his article.
“Although the American presidency has evolved across these eras, its influence has not diminished,” Jacobs later wrote. “Today, we are witnessing a resurgence of populism, a widening mistrust in the institutions that defined the last century, and an eroding faith that liberal values will lead to better lives for most people. Trump is both agent and beneficiary of it all.”
Jacobs concluded by recounting the key reasons the editors chose Trump: “For marshaling 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.”
In an extensive interview with TIME published Dec. 12, Trump said he doesn’t consider his success as “a comeback.”
“I know it’s considered that,” Trump said. “I should allow it to be that, and I will allow it to be that. But, you know, come back from what? I’ve always been here, you know.”
The interview covered a wide range of topics, including immigration, the Russia-Ukraine war and the war in the Middle East, vaccines, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Department of Education, pardoning convicted Jan. 6 protestors, transgenderism, and abortion.
When asked about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of abortion pills, Trump said “it would be highly unlikely” that his FDA would attempt to limit access to abortion pills.
“Well, we’re going to take a look at all of that,” Trump said. “That’s why I’m here. We’re going to take a look at all of that.”
When pressed on whether he would “rule [limiting abortion pill access] out,” Trump said, “I think it would be highly unlikely. I can’t imagine, but with, you know, we’re looking at everything, but highly unlikely.”
TIME asked if he is “committed to making sure that the FDA does not strip their ability to access abortion pills,” to which Trump said: “That would be my commitment. Yeah, it’s always been my commitment.”
In a more recent interview with Meet the Press, Trump spoke about the abortion pill issue again, noting that while he does not think anything will change, it remains a possibility.
CatholicVote President Brian Burch commented on this, saying, “President Trump said Sunday that while he will not act immediately to restrict or regulate dangerous abortion drugs, he admitted that ‘things do change,’ signaling that he would be open to addressing the overwhelming body of evidence that shows how harmful these drugs are to women.”
In late November, Trump appointed pro-life physician Dr. Marty Makary as head of the FDA.
In the TIME interview, Trump also spoke about his plans for the Department of Education.
Trump said he intends for there to be “a virtual closure of [the] Department of Education in Washington,” so as to give the majority of oversight back to the states.
The interviewer also asked him if he would reverse Biden’s pro-“transgender” directive in Title IX.
“I’m going to look at it very closely. We’re looking at it right now,” Trump said. “We’re gonna look at it. We’re gonna look at everything. Look, the country is torn apart. We’re gonna look at everything.”
