Following the announcement that Donald Trump had been dubbed Time’s 2016’s “Person of the Year,” protestors from the entertainment sphere took to Twitter to express their disapproval of the decision.
By the magazine’s own admittance, “Person of the Year” is not necessarily an honor; rather, it based on an objective assessment of the winner’s impact on the world. Indeed, plenty of Trump critics pointed out that Hitler, Stalin and Putin had nabbed the title in previous years.
Shaun King, NY Daily News senior justice writer, reminded his followers of the authoritarian leaders who had earned the title, tweeting: “Trump actually very much deserves to be in this company.”
King then proceeded to retweet links to recent crimes against minorities with the accompanying caption “Time Person of the Year,” intimating that the President-Elect was to blame for them.
Comedian Greg Proops resurrected the #NotMyPresident hashtag with a tweet along the same lines: “Him being ‘Person of the Year’ is an insult. To Women, People of Color, LGBTQ, Gold Star Families and the Disabled. #NotMyPresident.”
Musician and activist Bill Madden wished a “congrats” to “authoritarian lunatic Trump who joined deranged tyrants,” while gay activist and columnist Dan Savage tweeted a photo montage of Ayatollah Khomeini, Stalin and Hitler’s “Person of the Year” covers accompanied by the comment “So, yeah.”
Savage also threw shade on Americans duped by fake news with the tweet: “Should’ve included this one in last tweet. You, in front of your computer, forwarding fake news and conspiracy theories.” Attached to the tweet was a picture of the 2006 Time cover with “You” as the “Person of the Year.”
Others used hyperbole to express their disgust with the selection.
W. Kamau Bell, stand-up comedian and CNN host, tweeted: “Of course he’s the person of the year. Only person w/ a bigger effect on 2016 is The Grim Reaper & he wouldn’t sit for a picture. Or did he?”
Entertainment writer Lauren Duca opined that “At this point, the Person of the Year should just be Satan.”
Some mocked the magazine cover’s placement of the “M” in Time, making it appear as though the President-Elect had horns. Since Trump’s skin tone appeared lighter than usual, others suggested Time had edited the photograph.
Actor George Takei commented about the cover and accompanying story with his usual biting humor: “They say a picture is worth 1000 words. But a good photoshop? At least 10,000.”
Condemning a person’s fitness for the presidency is one thing, but questioning his objective impact on the world is quite another.
