Bruce Springsteen, who voiced a television advertisement for Biden during the campaign, announced Time magazine's decision at the conclusion of an hour-long special on NBC. Biden, 78, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, and Harris, 56, a US senator from California and the first Black woman and Indian American elected to the vice presidency, will be featured together on the magazine's cover on Dec 21. They were chosen over frontline health care workers, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the racial justice movement, and President Donald Trump. Time revealed the four finalists on the "Today" show. Edward Felsenthal, Time's editor-in-chief and CEO, mentioned the magazine's historical connection to the presidency. Felsenthal pointed out that it was the first instance in which the magazine had selected the vice president as a person of the year. He emphasized that the title of person of the year is not only a reflection of the past year, but also a prediction of the future. He expressed the belief that the next four years will be a critical test for both the vice president and the nation as a whole, to determine if they can fulfill their promise of unity. In a pre-recorded segment of the show, Biden stated that had Trump been reelected, it would have had long-lasting effects on the American identity. He described the recent election as a pivotal moment. Harris, who originally ran for president, acknowledged the challenges and expectations that she and Biden would be facing. “We are currently facing multiple crises that have come together at this moment,” she stated. Despite the struggle of weekly print magazines to stay relevant in the media industry, Time magazine continues to generate excitement over their annual Man of the Year distinction. This tradition dates back to 1927, when aviator Charles Lindbergh was named the first Man of the Year by Time. Over the years, Time has honored presidents, peacemakers, astronauts, popes, Queen Elizabeth II, American women, and the Earth itself. However, some of the individuals selected have been controversial; Time chose Adolf Hitler in 1938 and Josef Stalin in 1939, with Stalin receiving the distinction again in 1942. Time's selection process is not based on popularity, but rather on the individual or group that has had the most impact on the news and society, whether positive or negative. In 2019, Greta Thunberg was chosen as Time's person of the year, beating out other notable figures such as Nancy Pelosi, Trump, the Ukraine whistleblower, and the Hong Kong protesters. Trump expressed his displeasure with Thunberg's selection on Twitter, calling it "ridiculous." In 2018, Time magazine selected a group of journalists, including the murdered Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, as its person of the year to highlight the dangers faced by independent journalists amidst widespread disinformation. Other journalists recognized included the staff of The Capital Gazette newspapers in Maryland, where five people were killed in a shooting in June 2018. The previous year, Time had chosen the "silence breakers," women who sparked the Me Too movement by coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault against powerful men. In 2017, before the magazine announced its pick, President Trump claimed on Twitter that he had been informed he would likely be chosen again but said he declined the recognition. Time quickly issued a statement contradicting the president's claim. Despite his surprising victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, Trump was named Time's person of the year for that year. Unlike Trump, the last three presidents (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama) who were re-elected, were each named Time's person of the year twice during their time in office. Nine presidents have been chosen more than once by Time, with President Dwight D Eisenhower being the first in 1944 for his leadership during World War II, and President Franklin D Roosevelt holding the record for being named person of the year three times. The New York Times Company circa 2020.