On the cover of the magazine, the right-wing populist is pictured in his trademark red tie in a pensive pose under the headline “Person of the Year.” The world is experiencing “a resurgence of populism, a growing distrust of the institutions that shaped the past century, and a fading belief that liberal values will lead to a better life for most people,” it said magazine.
“Trump is both the cause and the beneficiary of all of this,” it continued. The right-wing populist is driving an unprecedented political realignment by “reshaping the US presidency and changing America’s role in the world.” Even after his first election victory in 2016, Trump was selected by the magazine as Personality of the Year.
The Republican won the presidential election after an extremely aggressive campaign that was primarily directed against migrants and the political establishment in Washington. On July 13, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on his life during a campaign appearance in Pennsylvania.
The real estate entrepreneur has put together a government team to help him implement a radical political agenda. Among other things, Trump has announced the mass deportation of undocumented migrants and an aggressive customs policy against trading partners such as Canada and Mexico, but also against the European Union and China.
In foreign policy, Trump has already announced a cut in US aid to Ukraine; so far, the USA has been the country’s largest supporter in the defensive war against Russia. Critics fear that this will force Ukraine to enter into an agreement with Moscow and give up Russian-occupied territories.
In an interview published in Time magazine on Thursday, the US President-elect rejected the use of long-range US missiles against targets in Russia: “I vehemently oppose sending missiles hundreds of miles to Russia,” said Trump. This would only lead to further escalation in the war. The interview was conducted at the end of November after outgoing US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia in mid-November.
Trump’s first term as president from 2017 to 2021 was marked by numerous scandals. He was then charged in several criminal cases, including election manipulation and in connection with the storming of the Capitol by his radical supporters.
The federal judiciary’s criminal proceedings against him have now been dropped on the grounds that the US Department of Justice generally does not investigate sitting presidents. Trump describes all proceedings against him as politically motivated “abuse of justice as a weapon” and threatens his opponents with retaliation.
“Time” has been awarding the title of Personality of the Year since 1927. It goes to people who had the greatest influence on the news during the year. Last year the title went to pop singer Taylor Swift, and before that to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Among the candidates this year were Kamala Harris, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who died in Russian custody.
