Time magazine over-explains why they named Donald Trump Person of the Year for 2024

Time Magazine is fact-checking its interview with Donald Trump, named Person of the Year for 2024.

Time Magazine is now clarifying and fact-checking parts of its own interview with President-elect Donald Trump shortly after naming him its Person of the Year for 2024. The announcement, made on December 12, cited Trump’s unprecedented political comeback, beating other heavyweight finalists such as Kate Middleton, Vice President Kamala Harris, Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya.

Time magazine cites Trump's political comeback despite past controversies while also addressing misinformation regarding vaccines and autism in the interview.(Time Magazine)

The magazine explained its rationale for selecting Trump by noting his “unparalleled political rebirth” after a tumultuous first term as president. “His first term ended in disgrace, with his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results culminating in the attack on the US Capitol,” Time wrote.

“He was shunned by most party officials when he announced his candidacy in late 2022 amid multiple criminal investigations. Little more than a year later, Trump cleared the Republican field, clinching one of the fastest contested presidential primaries in history.”

TIME publishes detailed analysis of Trump's Person of the Year interview

Time Magazine surprised readers by quickly publishing articles, one from Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, dissecting and debunking claims made during his Person of the Year interview.

“For marshalling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-­generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2024 ­Person of the Year,” Jacobs wrote.

One of the follow-up articles, titled Fact-Checking Trump’s 2024 Person of the Year Interview, included a detailed transcript of the interview alongside additional context and corrections. Another article, Trump Draws False Link Between Vaccines and Autism in Interview, addressed Trump’s comments suggesting a potential connection between vaccines and autism.

In the interview, Trump stated, “The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible. If you look at things that are happening, there’s something causing it.” He also mentioned plans for “very serious testing” to evaluate the safety and necessity of certain vaccines.

Time Magazine noted that while Trump did not explicitly link vaccines to autism, his remarks aligned with misinformation that has long fueled anti-vaccine movements.

During the Time interview, Trump suggested that his policies on vaccines “could” include removing some from the market if deemed “not beneficial” but argued they would not be “very controversial in the end.”