After a political rebirth that Time labeled "unparalleled in American history," President-elect Donald Trump has been named the 2024 Time Person of the Year.
Trump was revealed in a TODAY exclusive on Dec. 12 to be the publication's pick after being chosen from an initial short list of 10 prominent figures that had been whittled to five on Dec. 11.
This is the second time Trump has been chosen by Time as Person of the Year after also earning the distinction in 2016 following his victory in the presidential election. His first appearance on the cover of Time was in 1989.
The publication has named a Person of the Year every year since 1927, from historic world leaders to cultural figures. In 2023, Taylor Swift became the first Person of the Year to be recognized for her success in the arts.
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In November, Trump, 78, defeated another member of the Time Person of the Year short list, Vice President Kamala Harris, to become the first president since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s to return to office after losing a previous presidential race.
It completed a stunning political comeback following the end of his first term, when he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. He announced his candidacy in 2022 in the midst of multiple criminal investigations involving him and roared to the Republican nomination earlier this year.
He became the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years by defeating Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Republicans also took control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives following the election.
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“I called it '72 Days of Fury,'” Trump told Time in its story about him being named Person of the Year. “We hit the nerve of the country. The country was angry.”
During the campaign, Trump vowed to deport millions of migrants, slash parts of the federal government and slap tariffs on foreign goods to boost American businesses. He also told Time one of his first acts will be to pardon rioters from Jan. 6 who were convicted for crimes involving storming the Capitol.
“It’s going to start in the first hour,” he said. “Maybe the first nine minutes.”
Trump also reflected on nearly being assassinated in July by a gunman at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he held his fist up to the air and yelled "Fight!" as Secret Service agents tried to get him to safety.
“A lot of people changed with that moment,” he told Time.
He also discussed the plans for his incoming administration involving the Justice Department, the availability of abortion pills, deportation of migrants, and foreign affairs related to Israel, Iran, Ukraine and more.
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