Thursday 12 / December / 2024
New York: Time magazine named US President-elect Donald Trump as Person of the Year for 2024.
In its statement, the magazine said Trump had been chosen "for marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment," as well as "for reshaping the American presidency and altering America's role in the world."
This is the second time Trump wins the accolade, with the first time being after winning his first presidency in 2016.
Sam Jacobs, Time's editor-in-chief, explained the decision to US broadcaster NBC, saying that "for better or for worse, (Trump) had the most influence on the news in 2024."
"It's hard to argue with the fact that the person who's moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in news."
Jacobs called the decision "easier than years past."
Donald Trump was voted as the US' 47th president in last November's election, beating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The Democratic candidate was among those shortlisted for the award, alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian economist Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
In an interview with the magazine, Trump criticized Ukraine’s use of US-supplied missiles deep into Russian territory, calling it "crazy."
"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," said the US president-elect.
Trump also spoke about his deportation plans, saying that “there might be” new camps to hold detained migrants before they are deported. He also added the military could be enlisted to round up and deport migrants.
