Politics

Trump Claims He Turned Down Time’s ‘Person Of The Year’

Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign stop at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Creative Commons/Matt A.J.

President Donald Trump claimed Friday that Time Magazine contacted him to express the likely possibility that it would designate him as its “Person of the Year.”

Using his favorite means of communication, Trump said he turned down the honor because Time Magazine didn’t fully commit.

Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017

“Time Person of the Year” is an annual edition of the magazine that extensively profiles a certain person, group — even sometimes an abstract idea. Trump was named as “Person of the Year” in 2016.

The entity featured, though, is not always seen in the larger public light as a positive influence.

“The title goes to ‘the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse,'” according to former Managing Editor Walter Isaacson.

Former President Barack Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg were both chosen in 2008 and 2010, respectively. So too were Russian leaders, like current president Vladimir Putin in 2007, and Joseph Stalin in both 1939 and 1942. Adolf Hitler was named “Man of the Year” in 1938. (RELATED: Trump Will Never Get Banned From Twitter. Here’s Why)

Time officially refutes Trump’s statements, saying he “is incorrect” about how it choose’s “Person of the Year.”

“TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6,” the publication tweeted.

This article has been updated to include Time’s statements.

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