CNN
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Donald Trump once publicly speculated as much would never name him the news magazine’s “Person of the Year.”

Now he will receive the honor twice.

Time will name Trump as this year’s pick on Thursday, recognizing the president-elect as the individual or group that has exerted the greatest influence “for better or worse” on global affairs. To celebrate the unveiling of the magazine cover, Trump will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Last month, Trump did an in-depth interview with the magazine.

Time declined to comment.

Trump’s 2024 pick reflects his first recognition in 2016, when Time magazine named him Person of the Year following his unexpected rise to the presidency. This time, the revelation caps a remarkable comeback and resurgence that has the potential to upend modern American politics.

Despite the magazine’s declining circulation, Time magazine’s Person of the Year award remains an annual cultural touchstone, and the award has become something of an obsession for Trump over the years. A Time cover naming him Person of the Year in 2009 hung in several of his golf clubs, as the Washington Post reported nearly a decade later, although such an edition was never printed.

Through his widely followed Twitter account, Trump regularly commented on the annual selection and suggested in more detailed reports that it should be him. He criticized the magazine in 2011 for choosing “The Protester” as a reference to the revolutions erupting in the Arab world and the Occupy movement in the United States. A year later, he said Time magazine had “lost all credibility” by failing to list him among the 100 most influential people of the year. Trump has also privately complained about the decisions, particularly when Taylor Swift won in 2023. Trump has often been fixated on the power the pop star wields, posting “I hate Taylor Swift” on social media earlier this year after she endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

Over time, the title became a symbol of the mainstream fame and respect that Trump sought but seemed out of reach. When the magazine named then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel its Person of the Year in 2015, he wrote on Twitter: “I told you @TIME Magazine would never choose me as Person of the Year, even though I’m the big favorite,” adding then added: “You have chosen someone to ruin Germany.”

Even after Time magazine named Trump Person of the Year in 2016 — which he described on social media as “a great honor” — he continued to follow the results closely. The following year, Trump claimed he was in the running for the award again, but declined an interview and photo shoot. Time disputed his version of events.

Despite his regular criticism of the media, Trump regularly granted access to legacy media outlets – including Time. In April of this year, he gave the magazine an in-depth interview at his club in Palm Beach. Harris turned down a similar opportunity, the magazine’s owner said in October.

Over the decades, the title has been bestowed on a variety of figures, from heads of state and activists to entrepreneurs and, in some cases, brutal authoritarian leaders. Every U.S. president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, except Gerald Ford, has been named Person of the Year at least once. President Joe Biden and Harris were honored together after defeating Trump in 2020.

Members of Trump’s family are expected to attend Thursday’s event, including Ivanka Trump, according to a source familiar with the planning. It’s a rare public appearance by the president-elect’s daughter, who served as a senior adviser during his first term.

CNN’s Betsy Klein and Hadas Gold contributed to this report.