President-elect Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City on Thursday, following his selection as Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.”
Thursday’s honours for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of 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 9:30 am (local time), a first for him, 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.
Trump thanked the legacy outlet, praised the NYSE and touted some of his economic goals for his second term in remarks ahead of the bell ringing as he stood in front of a picture with his new Time title.
“It is an honor. And this is a double, because usually they don’t coordinate the man of the year — or the Person of the Year — with the ringing of the bell. And brilliantly, you’ve picked them both at the same time. … It takes one trip,” Trump said.
In his remarks, he talked up some of the people he has named to his incoming administration, including Treasury pick 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 $1 billion.
“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 Trump was Time’s 2024 Person of the Year. Jacobs said Trump was someone who “for better or for worse, had the most influence on the news in 2024.”
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“This is someone who made a historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who’s reordering American politics,” 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 the 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.”
Former first lady Melania Trump, who rang the NYSE bell in 2019, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the president-elect’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, were among those in attendance, as was Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The president-elect has long-standing business and personal ties to New York, though his home base is now in Florida. It’s his first time ringing the opening bell, which marks the start of the day’s trading.
The honor from Time is Trump’s second “Person of the Year” title, after he snagged it in 2016 following his first election to the White House. The magazine gave the title to megastar Taylor Swift last year, and Time CEO Jessica Sibley rang the opening bell.
