Report by Paula Antolini
December 7,2016 7:45AM EDT
NATIONAL NEWS
President-Elect Donald Trump Chosen as ‘Person of the Year 2016’ by Time Magazine
TIME Magazine revealed it’s choice for ‘Person of the Year 2016’ on the Today Show on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, and they chose President-Elect Donald Trump.
“President-elect Donald Trump, the real estate businessman and political novice whose election campaign made the entire world take notice, has been selected as TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year,” reports the Today Show.
“So which is it this year: Better or worse? The challenge for Donald Trump is how profoundly the country disagrees about the answer,” TIME managing editor Nancy Gibbs wrote in a magazine essay, reports TIME.
Trump beat out 10 other finalists, including his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Clinton was chosen as TIME’s runner-up, and Clinton was chosen as the top pick among TODAY viewers, reports the Today Show.
As reported on the Today Show, those 11 finalists were:
Mark Zuckerberg: The Facebook chief executive runs what continues to be a force in media and advertising, particularly in 2016. Zuckerberg also took additional steps toward his lifetime goal of donating nearly all of his company stake to philanthropy.
Donald Trump: His victory in the presidential election continues to stun detractors and excite supporters a month after Election Night. Controversy also courts the president-elect during the period of transition as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in January. Trump was declared TIME’s Person of the Year runner-up in 2015.
Beyoncé: The musician who gave a different taste to “Lemonade” set a new record for awards won at the MTV Video Music Awards. She won eight this year, surpassing Madonna’s record of 20 and upping her overall total to 24. With a Super Bowl half time performance, a world tour, and a clothing line, it’s clear Queen Bey continues to reign, in the world of entertainment.
Hillary Clinton: The first woman to become a presidential nominee for a major political party, Clinton came up short against Trump after losing the electoral vote. Despite losing the election, Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.5 million votes. The glass ceiling wasn’t shattered, but Clinton clearly made her mark.
Vladimir Putin: The Russian president continued to make news in 2016 for his nation’s involvement in the war in Syria, as well as alleged attempts by Russia to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.
Whistleblowers of Flint, Michigan: They alerted the nation about the elevated levels of lead in the blood of Flint children, and linked it back to a water crisis that stemmed from the city’s decision to switch the water supply source as a cost-saving measure. Their work led to criminal charges against two water companies involved in the scandal.
Nigel Farage: The former U.K Independence Party Leader, and current member of the European Parliament, Farage helped pushed the Brexit referendum to victory.
Simone Biles: The 19-year-old American gymnast won four gold medals at the Rio Olympics, but it was her reaction to meeting longtime crash Zac Efron that cemented her into the hearts of fans.
Narendra Modi: The prime minister of India is pushing a demonetization drive that he says while fight large-scale corruption. He ordered the withdrawal of high-denomination 500 and 1,000 rupee bills, which he also says will crack down on counterfeit currency.
The CRISPR Scientists: They are the researchers who study a genome-editing strategy known as CRISPR (or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats). The technology allows scientists to modify specific genes in living cells, specifically allowing them to replace faulty genes with working ones.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: The Turkish president tightened control over his country after surviving a failed military coup and terrorist attacks against his nation.
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