President Trump took to Twitter Friday afternoon to say he passed on possibly being Time's Person of the Year because he didn't want to agree to an interview and photo shoot.
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
The magazine tweeted a few hours later that that wasn't the case:
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
Trump was named Time's Person of the Year last year, which he called a "tremendous honor" at the time.
The yearly title isn't necessarily a mark of praise but rather an acknowledgment of influence. "[T]he person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse," a former managing editor of the magazine wrote. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin have both been featured in the role.
The magazine started naming a "Man of the Year" during a slow news week in 1928, it says. The title became "Person of the Year" in 1999, though socialite Wallis Simpson was a "Woman of the Year" in 1937.
In June, The Washington Post noted that fake covers of Time magazine featuring Trump hang in at least four of his golf clubs.
The Person of the Year will be announced Dec. 6.
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