Trump named Time’s Person of the Year and rings NYSE’s opening bell
12 December 2024, 14:54
Mr Trump spoke at the exchange and called it ‘a tremendous honour’.
President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognised for the second time by Time magazine as its person of the year.
The honours for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Mr Trump’s remarkable comeback from an ostracised former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November.
Before he rang the opening bell at 9.30am, a first for him, Mr Trump spoke at the exchange and called it “a tremendous honour”.
“Time Magazine, getting this honour for the second time, I think I like it better this time actually,” he said.
Mr Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and vice president-elect JD Vance, grinned as people chanted “USA” before he rang the bell.
He then raised his fist.
In his remarks, he talked up some of the people he has named to his incoming administration, including Treasury pick Secretary Scott Bessent, and some of his announced policies, including a promise this week that the federal government will issue expedited permits, including environmental approvals, for projects and construction worth more than one billion dollars.
“I think we’re going to have a tremendous run. We have to straighten out some problems, some big problems in the world,” he said.
Sam Jacobs, Time’s editor in chief, announced on NBC’s Today show that Mr Trump was Time’s 2024 Person of the Year. Mr Jacobs said Mr Trump was someone who “for better or for worse, had the most influence on the news in 2024”.
“This is someone who made an historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who’s reordering American politics,” Mr Jacobs said.
“It’s hard to argue with the fact that the person who’s moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in news.”
He added that “there’s always a hot debate” at the magazine over the honour, “although I have to admit that this year was an easier decision than years past”.
In an interview with the magazine published on Thursday, Mr Trump spoke about his final campaign blitz and election win.
“I called it ‘72 Days of Fury’,” Mr Trump said. “We hit the nerve of the country. The country was angry.”
Mr Trump was on Wall Street to mark the ceremonial start of the day’s trading. The Time magazine cover featuring him was projected onto a wall at the stock exchange, flanked by American flags.
Trump took the stage at the exchange flanked by family members and members of his incoming administration while his favoured walk-on song, God Bless The USA, played.
Mr Trump was also Time’s Person of the Year in 2016, when he was first elected to the White House. He was listed as a finalist for this year’s award alongside notables including Vice President Kamala Harris, X owner Elon Musk, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Princess of Wales.
The NYSE regularly invites celebrities and business leaders to participate in the 9.30am ceremonial opening trading. Last year, Time CEO Jessica Sibley rang the NYSE opening bell to unveil the magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year: Taylor Swift.
