Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is a divisive choice every year, and this year is definitely no different. Time considers their Person of the Year to be “the person who had the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year.” This year’s choice is perhaps the most representative of that split between better or worse: Donald J. Trump.
Based on Time’s criteria, the choice makes sense. Trump dominated headlines all year, and has continued to do so after winning a presidential election many considered to be in the bag for Hillary Clinton. His ubiquity on Twitter is incredible, and many people will have opinions on the choice. Last year’s Time Person of the Year was German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
This year's runners up include Hillary Clinton, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Beyonce, The Hackers and The CRISPR Pioneers.
Every US President has been named Time Person of the Year at some point, and starting with President Ronald Reagan in 1980, every US President has been named Person of the Year on the year of their election. This is not without precedent.
Watch Time’s Person of the Year video for Donald Trump below.
