INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Trump Vs. Time Magazine ‘Person Of The Year’ — Was He Or Was He Not Told He Was In The Running?

By Roz Zurko
Published on: 01:25 PST, Nov 25, 2017

Donald Trump offered up a tweet on Friday evening that has suddenly become a hot-button issue. Trump claims he took himself out of the running for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year when he was told by Time he was in the running. Time bit back by reporting that this was just not the case. Time Magazine officials claim they don’t notify the people they are considering for this honor, so the president is mistaken.

Corey Lewandowski, who was Trump’s campaign manager at one time, appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend on Saturday morning. Lewandowski, along with Fox’s morning show cast, suggested that Time Magazine must get in touch with people they are considering for Time’s Person of the Year before revealing their choice for obvious reasons. They have photo shoots along with interviews that they post at the time they reveal their pick for the year, so it stands to reason that they would want an interview and photo shoot with the contenders in advance.

This seems to validate Donald Trump’s tweet on Friday night.

“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,” Trump tweeted on Friday evening. “I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!”

Trump already went through this process last year when he was actually named Time’s Person of the Year, so one would think he knows the process of the phone call and what follows. Apparently, Time suggests this isn’t how they do things.

“The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.”

As Fox & Friends discussed on Saturday morning, when the announcement of the Person of the Year is released in the magazine, the pictures and interview are there. How would they get that interview and photo shoot without calling and making an appointment with the contenders beforehand? As Trump said in his tweet, he would need to agree to an interview and a photo shoot as one of those contenders, so because he was “probably” going to be, instead of a definite, he bowed out.

Geraldo Rivera came on Fox & Friends later in the morning with a little different take on Trump vs. Time Magazine. Rivera expressed his concerns about the president “punching down” the media. He considers this small fish to fry in comparison to what is going on in the world. The cast on the curvy couch did question his take by asking if this is not the way to keep the media in check. Rivera continued by saying Time Magazine has become a shadow of itself from years ago. He also said that if Trump is on the cover as Person of the Year, the magazine will sell a lot of issues. Rivera then went on to talk about two of the magazine covers that he’s been on during his career in journalism.

When Trump heard that he is “probably” going to be Person of the Year, he said he doesn’t do “probably,” explains the Fox morning cast. With all that he has on his plate as the president of the nation today, taking time out for a photo shoot and an interview that may or may not be used would be a waste of valuable time.

Many took the same stand as Lewandowski, which is seen above. Whether you like Donald Trump or not, there’s no one who has influenced the world today more than Trump. So if Time’s Magazine’s Person of the Year stayed true to its mission, then Trump would be the deserving party, suggests Lewandowski. But it could also be that Trump doesn’t want that distinction again, considering the others in the running for that title this year. While they all have influenced the world in some way, some would not be considered as a good influence, such as Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader.

According to the Washington Post, these are the other names in the running for Time’s Person of the Year award: “Stephen K. Bannon, singer Ariana Grande, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, football player Colin Kaepernick, French President Emmanuel Macron, former FBI director James B. Comey, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, Pope Francis and women who have shared their stories about being sexually harassed or assaulted using the hashtag #MeToo.”

According to the Washington Post, Trump was passed over for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2015 when he was in the running, it went to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Last year Trump was Time’s Person of the Year, which he claimed was a “very, very, great honor.”

Today people across the social media sites as well as commenters on the various articles are reporting on the Trump vs. Time tweet. They are reminding Trump that being Time’s Person of the Year is not necessarily an honor. NPR News also reminded their readers that this Person of the Year title is “not necessarily a mark of praise.” They also remind folks that Adolf Hilter and Joseph Stalin have been in this role.

According to NPR, a former managing editor of Time wrote a description of Time’s Person of the Year. It is not described as an honor, but as a distinction. According to that editor, “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.”

Comments reminding people that this is not necessarily an honor from Time are popping up on articles, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. A few examples are seen below.

A Washington Post reader, jcpinsc wrote: “Remember, the criteria for Time’s Person of the Year is to choose the person who has influenced the news for better or for WORSE during the year. It is not always an honor to be chosen.”

[Featured Image by Nam Y. Huh/AP Photos]

Share this article: Trump Vs. Time Magazine ‘Person Of The Year’ — Was He Or Was He Not Told He Was In The Running?
social media Donald Trump
More from Inquisitr