Donald Trump was recently named “Person of the Year” by Time magazine. Following a variety of other milestones that Trump has achieved, the recent election resulted in his obtaining the 45th presidency with almost no political experience. He was also a shortlist finalist for Person of the Year last year.

The sub-title of the cover is “President of the Divided States of America.” Senior Maggie McNamara said, “I think that half of the world fell in love with his openness and his way of talking without a filter; however, the other half hates how he degrades women and people of color and how he generally acts. You either love or hate him; there really isn’t an in between.” Trump addressed the subtitle on the Today Show: “I didn’t divide ‘em. We’re going to put it back together and we’re going to have a country that’s very well-healed.”

President Trump is expected to implement radical changes throughout his term. Therefore, a strong line is drawn between those who are pro-Trump and those who may fear for their lives. Time noted, “It’s hard to measure the scale of his disruption.” 

Last year Angela Merkel was Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Being the chancellor of  Germany for approximately 10 years now and its first female chancellor, Merkel is a respected leader and the antithesis of Trump. Time noted, “Her political style was not to have one; no flair, no flourishes, no charisma, just a survivor’s sharp sense of power and a scientist’s devotion to data.”  She has also welcomed refugees with mixed results.

Trump dominated headlines and succeeded in becoming the president-elect. Senior Jacob Little stated, “He grabbed the full attention of not only the nation but the entire world. His willingness to speak outrageous remarks and unorthodox politics had many people either loving him or being too shocked by him running for president to really formulate an opinion. He had to face the masses of criticism and doubt. He won the presidency, but because of his personality, nobody thought he would. I believe that even if he hadn’t won the presidency he would still have been named Person of the Year.”

Time’s Person of the Year is an honor, but it can come with some controversy. Hitler, Stalin, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Putin have also received this honor. Time editor Nancy Gibbs said the choice was a “straightforward” choice of the person who has had the greatest influence on events “for better or worse.”