The sun has been shining on President Donald Trump in recent days. There has been an inundation of deserved blandishment and accolades since his landslide victory during the Presidential elections held last month. A week ago, Trump was named “Patriot of the Year” at Fox Nation’s annual Patriot Awards. The most recent recognition is being named the Person of the Year by Time Magazine
“For marshaling 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,” wrote Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs.
Trump was previously named Person of the Year following his victory against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Among the shortlisted individuals being considered for the Time‘s Person of the Year were Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Rogan, Vice-President Kamala Harris, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, etc.
President Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange alongside some of his family members and Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance. There were cheers, applauses, whistles, and triumphant chants of ‘USA.’ Trump spoke with his usual frankness and humor. He said the media has ‘tamed down a little bit’ after this recent victory but added that if they cover him unfairly “we’ll have to take them on again.”
There has been little to celebrate during the past four years. Both President Trump and his supporters were targeted by the state in an attempt to outlaw or intimidate political opposition. One cannot blame them for wanting to celebrate following the victory last month. But the question remains: is Time‘s Person of the Year worth celebrating?
First a review of the description of President Trump in the shortlist of nominees. It began well and factually.
“In a stunning political comeback, Donald Trump won the 2024 election. He has reshaped the American electorate, activating young male voters who propelled him to a decisive victory that saw him win the popular vote for the first time and turn every swing state red.”
“During his 2024 campaign, he identified the economy and the border as his top priorities.”
But subsequently, Time magazine proved they were still part of the mainstream media.
“Trump’s remarkable victory comes after he lost the 2020 election to Biden and repeatedly refused to accept the results. His 2024 win is history-making in multiple ways: he will be the oldest President in U.S. history, and he was convicted earlier this year by a New York jury of 34 counts of fraud, making him the first convicted felon to be elected President.
He’s promised to implement tariffs on America’s top trading partners — Mexico, Canada, and China — once he takes office, worrying economists, and has announced several controversial Cabinet appointments. Trump was previously named TIME’s Person of the Year in 2016, the year he won the presidency for the first time.”
Trump also sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs and others at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Nov. 25. The interview was published by Time, also included in the text preceding the transcript of the interview is a link to a page that fact-checks President Trump’s remarks during his interview.
Let’s compare this treatment to previous winners.
When Obama was interviewed by Time magazine in 2008, the text was published without any fact-checking. When Obama was made Person of the Year in 2012, the text was a blatant hagiography, it read like an endorsement or a citation of an award. The text to celebrate Biden and his bumbling deputy being Person of the Year in 2020, only consisted of blandishments. All this proves that Time was, is, and will always be part of the mainstream media that despises Trump.
It would be wrong to assume that Time is remorseful about their follies and biases and this recognition is a move to amend their ways.
sacked 22 major staffers across departments, including editorial, technology, sales and marketing, and Time Studios. Earlier last month there was news that Time owner Marc Benioff was in talks to sell the magazine to Greek media company Antenna Group for $150 Million
President Trump on their cover will obviously boost sales both digitally and beyond, this is the need of the hour for the struggling outlet.
If challenged by their peers in the liberal echo chambers about making Trump their Person of the Year, they will highlight that Hitler (1938); Stalin (1939 and 1942); Khrushchev (1957); and Ayatollah Khomeini (1979) were also Person of the Year.
Don’t be too surprised if either Time or any other of the mainstream outlets carry op-eds that claim that Time Magazine Person of the Year is not an award or an accomplishment but rather about being a newsmaker.
Trump’s victory last month was a complete repudiation of what was once considered mainstream. It was a rejection of the news media and the establishment and their ideas.
Being well-funded and connected to the establishment is the sole reason the mainstream media still has some relevance. It no longer has the reach it once had; that space has been taken over by alternative media which is why most mainstream outlets have been suffering huge losses.
To push them to further irrelevance, the Right must reject the narratives set by the mainstream media
This doesn’t only mean a rejection of their spin and falsehoods but also their opinions and choices which include their awards and titles.
This is a group that has relentlessly demonized both Trump and the MAGA movement, in response the right must reject both their attacks and what seems like compliments.
The Right cannot afford to be laid back or make concessions due to their elation following last month’s electoral triumph. It is essential for the right to remember key lines from Virgil’s Aeneid, written at the backdrop of the Trojan War which reads Timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs, paraphrased in English as “I fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts.”
The Right must be skeptical of the establishment especially when they bear ‘awards’
The electoral triumph was a major step in overcoming the wrongs of the past, there are many more battles to be won to emerge victorious.
Image: AT via Magic Studio
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