About six months ago, Donald Trump was sitting in a courtroom in lower Manhattan listening to a jury make him the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
On Thursday, he will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange a few blocks from that court, where Time magazine named him Person of the Year.
The honor for the businessman-turned-politician marks the latest chapter in his love-hate relationship with New York. It’s also a measure of Trump’s remarkable comeback from a pariah former president who refused to accept his election loss four years ago to a president-elect who won the White House decisively in November.
Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief of Time magazine, announced on NBC’s “Today” show that Trump was Time magazine’s 2024 Person of the Year. Jacobs said Trump was someone who “for better or worse will have the biggest impact on the news in 2024.”
“This is a person who made a historic comeback, reshaped the American presidency and rearranged American politics,” Jacobs said. “It’s hard to argue with the fact that the person who moves into the Oval Office is the person who has the most influence in the news.”
He added that “there is always a heated debate” in the magazine about the honor, “although I have to admit that this year was an easier decision than in previous years.”
In an interview with the magazine published Thursday, Trump spoke about his recent campaign and his election victory.
“I called it 72 Days of Rage,” Trump said. We have struck the nerve of the country. “The country is angry.”
Trump is expected to be on Wall Street to mark the ceremonial start of trading today, according to four people with knowledge of his plans who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Trump was also Time magazine’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 notable figures including Vice President Kamala Harris, X owner Elon Musk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kate, Princess of Wales.
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The NYSE regularly invites celebrities and business leaders to participate in its ceremonial opening trading session at 9:30 a.m. Thursday will be the first time that Trump performs at the tribute ceremony, which has become a mark of culture and politics.
Last year, Time Magazine CEO Jessica Sibley rang the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell to unveil the magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023: Taylor Swift.
During Trump’s first term, his wife, Melania Trump, rang the bell to promote her “Be Best” initiative on child welfare.
Donald Trump’s trip to New York from his new home in Florida to launch a call to capitalism in the financial Mecca tops a series of visits by the former president to various venues in the city this year.
Aside from his required presence at a downtown courthouse for his trial, Trump, always a master of the art of the photo op, held campaign events all over the city: at a firehouse, a bodega, and a construction site. He also held a rally in the Bronx, among the places in the city where Trump made inroads during the election.
To celebrate the final stretch of his campaign, he held a rally at Madison Square Garden, which drew immediate backlash after speakers there made crude, racist insults and incendiary remarks.
Trump has long been fascinated with appearing on the cover of Time magazine, where he first appeared in 1989. He falsely claimed to hold the record for appearing on the cover, and the Washington Post reported in 2017 that Trump had a fake photo of himself. On the cover of the magazine hangs several of his golf clubs.
Earlier this year, Trump gave interviews to the magazine for a story published in April. Time magazine’s owner, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, criticized Trump’s Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, for not granting an interview to the magazine.
“Despite multiple requests, TIME has not been granted an interview with Kamala Harris, unlike any other presidential candidate,” Benioff said in a post on X. We believe in transparency and publish every interview in full. Why doesn’t the Vice President deal with the public on the same level?
In his latest interview published on Thursday, Trump reiterated that he would pardon most of those convicted in the riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. “It will start in the first hour,” he said of the pardon. “Maybe the first nine minutes.”
Trump has fashioned an image as a wealthy real estate developer, starring as the star of the reality TV show “The Apprentice” and during his presidential campaign. He won the election in part by channeling Americans’ concerns about the economy’s ability to provide for the needs of the middle class.
After the November 5 election, the S&P 500 rose 2.5% on its best day in nearly two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,508 points, or 3.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 3%. The three indicators topped the records recorded in previous weeks.
Trump, who often looks to the stock market as a measure of public support, said his next term as president should be dated the day after the election so he can be credited for the gains.
Trump’s campaign promises have included pledges to achieve historic levels of economic growth, and the people he picks to fill his next administration skew heavily from business.
His promises to lower corporate taxes and reduce regulations were praised by the larger business community. But there are also concerns about his stated plans to impose broad tariffs and potentially target companies that he sees as not aligned with his political interests.
Historically, the US stock market has tended to rise regardless of which party wins the White House, with Democrats posting larger gains on average since 1945. But Republican control could mean big shifts in winning and losing industries beneath the surface, and investors are increasing their bets. We previously built on what the higher tariffs, lower tax rates, and relaxed regulations favored by Trump would mean.
In light of his election victory, his lawyers sought to overturn his conviction in the Manhattan case.
