Here we go again... President-elect Donald J. Trump has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year for the second time. He joins former presidents like Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton for the double honor. Unsurprisingly, Black Twitter isn’t really feeling it.
The controversial politician has ruffled quite a few feathers along his way back to the White House, and Black folks won’t let him or his supporters forget any of it. On X, user @SageAmenti called Trump’s naming “a big mistake.” He continued saying “You don’t reward evil.”
On that same note, folks online find the whole thing a little ironic given Trump’s criminal past. “A person with multiple indictments mind you,” @iamntyrell wrote on X.
Users like @LoLoByke couldn’t believe the choice. “We’re really living in a simulation,” she said.
@taytay_danielle posted a hilariously accurate reaction to the public finding out TIME’s pick for Person of the Year. She wrote “run that back for me.”
Although some people seem to be shocked by the pick, a couple X users reminded everyone that Person of the Year almost always goes to the recently elected president during an election year. Indeed, Trump was Person of the Year in 2016 after beating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Just like @Dr_Straker, many other X users said they would’ve picked a different person to honor this year. @oomphew suggested “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo would’ve made a better choice.
@KevCoke6 said if anyone deserves the title for 2024, the obvious pick should’ve been Kendrick Lamar, who arguably had the best year of his career with mash hits like “Not Like Us” and “Like That.” We also can’t forget he’s headlining the 2025 Super Bowl and dropped a no-skip album just a few weeks ago.
“You cannot tell the story of 2024 from a pop culture pov without [Kendrick]. A Trump “Person of the Year” cover doesn’t move the needle like that,” @KevCoke6 said.
Other suggestions included Gisèle Pelicot, Vice President Kamala Harris, and even UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione.
Now, let’s be honest. Despite how you feel about him, Trump had a crazy 2024. It’s not every year that a presidential candidate gets shot at multiple times, has to deal with a change in opponent, and is found guilty on 34 felonies... But user @yasirworldwide said despite all of that, they’re still not impressed. “N***** get shot everyday, my cousin not on the cover of TIME!” @yasirworldwide said.
What a way to close out a crazy year, right?!