Time magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, President-elect and Vice President-elect, as its 2020 Person of the Year.
Biden and Harris, were selected from a shortlist that included Donald Trump, frontline health care workers with Dr. Anthoney Fauci, and the movement for racial justice.
“The Biden Harris ticket represents something historic,” said Time’s editor-in-chief of Edward Felsenthal on their new NBC broadcast heralding the feature. Highlighting the President of the United States on the cover of Time isn’t new, every elected President since FDR until now has appeared on the historic cover. However, this is the first time a Vice President has been named person of the year.
“Person of the Year is not just about the year that was but about where we’re headed,” Felsenthal continued. “And the next four years is going to be an enormous test of them, and all of us, to see whether they can bring about the unity they promised.”
The Biden-Harris ticket represents something historic.
Person of the Year is not just about the year that was, but about where we’re headed #TIMEPOY https://t.co/H4uzUe8Pli pic.twitter.com/YMylCvbkZT
— TIME (@TIME) December 11, 2020
“I’m convinced the American public is looking for the possibilities that are available out there,” Biden said on the broadcast. “They know we’re so much better than this. When I ran I said, ‘This is about who we are as a nation, who we’re going to be, what we want to be.’ And the American people stepped up.”
Announced by Bruce Springsteen, the reveal was presented via NBC broadcast which contained several poignant vignettes moments this in memoriam musical tribute of “Over the Rainbow” from Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott.
Watch: @YoYo_Ma and Kathryn Stott perform “Over the Rainbow” as we remember those we’ve lost this year #TIMEPOY pic.twitter.com/kBO6nvRhvM
— TIME (@TIME) December 11, 2020
Time also named BTS entertainer of the year. LeBron James was named athlete of the year and Gitanjali Rao a 15-year-old scientist and inventor was named the fist kid of the year. Guardians of the year included frontline health workers, with Porche Bennett-Bey and racial-justice organizers and Dr. Anthony Fauci.