Donald Trump has been named as TIME’s Person of the Year 2016, with the magazine writing about how “it’s difficult to count all the ways Trump remade the game.”
Trump beat out the likes of his Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton, Beyonce and “hackers” to be named as Person of the Year by the magazine, with the publication accompanying his appearance on the front cover of their latest issue with the byline “President of the Divided States of America.” “Instead of painting a bright vision for a unified future, [Trump] magnified the divisions of the present, inspiring new levels of anger and fear within his country,” author Michael Scherer writes. “Whatever you think of the man, this much is undeniable: he uncovered an opportunity others didn’t believe existed, the last, greatest deal for a 21st century salesman.”
While Trump’s ascendancy to the most powerful position in the free world may have been the most divisive moment in modern politics, and a terrifying prospect for many of the citizens who will soon have their well-being placed in his hands, considering that his campaign was the most hot-button topic of the entire year it’s difficult to argue against TIME’s decision. This will mark the tenth time that the president-elect has appeared on TIME’s cover, with his first appearance taking place back in 1989.
Trump beat out ten other nominees included in TIME’s shortlist, which along with Clinton also included his UK political confidant Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing British party UKIP. Despite Farage having failed to have been elected as a Member of Parliament in the UK on a number of occasions, his relationship with Trump even led to him helping the businessman prepare for his second debate prior to his election.
Take a look at a video profile of Donald Trump by TIME below:
