President Trump tweeted Friday from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, that he had refused an offer to be TIME magazine's Person of the Year for a second year running -- despite the fact that the Commander-in-Chief has actively lobbied for the designation and even displayed a fake TIME cover in four of his various golf clubs.
And despite the fact that TIME said he wasn't right about the magazine's selection process.
Trump claimed the magazine had contacted him about the possibility of bestowing the title on him as it had done the year before and he refused, unwilling to settle for a chance instead of a confirmation.
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. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017
Hours later, the magazine responded.
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.
— TIME (@TIME) November 25, 2017
Chief content officer Alan Murray added another denial and called the claim "total BS":
Amazing. Not a speck of truth here—Trump tweets he 'took a pass' at being named TIME's person of the year https://t.co/D6SJgyTpcY
— Alan Murray (@alansmurray) November 25, 2017
TIME's Person of the Year is determined each year via a combination of an online reader poll and the judgment of the magazine's team of editors. This year's poll includes Trump alongside a slate of 32 other candidates, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Justin Trudeau, DACA recipients, author Margaret Atwood and ex-FBI director James Comey.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's presence on the list speaks to the fact Person of the Year is not always an endorsement of the person chosen. Instead, it is meant to recognize a person or group who actions or demeanor epitomized the overall tenor of the past year. Adolf Hitler received the title in 1938, as did Stalin in both 1939 and 1942.
Later, three Popes, several American presidents, the personal computer and large groups such as the Enron whistleblowers and doctors fighting Ebola in West Africa all held the title for a year.
Trump had appeared on the cover of the magazine 14 times by June 21, 2017; all but one of those appearances was linked to the 2016 presidential election despite Trump repeatedly asking for the Person of the Year honor in 2012 and 2015.
I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite They picked person who is ruining Germany
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2015
I knew last year that @TIME Magazine lost all credibility when they didn't include me in their Top 100...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2012
The lone pre-campaign cover is from 1989 and sports Trump's picture with the headline: "The man may turn you green with envy -- or just turn you off."
Trump has been known to flaunt a fifteenth, fake TIME cover in his golf clubs. The Photoshopped March 2009 cover proclaims "Trump is hitting on all fronts … even TV!" and lauds his reality series "The Apprentice" with another exclamation point.
In reality, the March 2, 2009 issue of TIME featured actress Kate Winslet as part of a story about her Best Actress win for "The Reader."
If you would like to vote in TIME's online poll to help determine the 2017 Person of the Year, whether it's Trump or someone else, you can do so at this link.
