Surprising nobody, Time named Donald Trump its “Person of the Year.” But did the president-elect sport “devil horns” in the cover portrait?
Some are saying the M in Time was artfully placed just above Trump’s head — the latest slam from a publication that twice depicted the New York businessman in “meltdown” mode.
Stories are covering the supposed cover conspiracy, with Twitter being the home for many suspicions.
“This came after The show had promised a live interview with the award’s ‘recipient or recipients’ after the scheduled announcement, at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday,” The Hill said.
Time explained its pick:
“This is the 90th time we have named the person who had the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year. So which is it this year: Better or worse? The challenge for Donald Trump is how profoundly the country disagrees about the answer.”
The essay concluded:
“For reminding America that demagoguery feeds on despair and that truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it, for empowering a hidden electorate by mainstreaming its furies and live-streaming its fears, and for framing tomorrow’s political culture by demolishing yesterday’s, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year.”
Snopes.com, the hoax-busting site, noted that “devil horns” are not unusual for Time’s cover, showing the same treatment for Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict and George W. Bush.
Other coverage and commentary:
DEAR @TIME: Hillary broke a barrier that stood for 227 years. Trump bullied his way to the presidency. Any questions?#personoftheyear
— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 7, 2016
Donald Trump said he’s done nothing to divide the country.
Except for that one time that lasted for the past few years.— Erik Bransteen (@erikbransteen) December 7, 2016
Trump constantly tweeted his hatred of ‘Time,’ until it celebrated him https://t.co/vZKx3gUFim pic.twitter.com/fj4oUdWH3Q
— Mashable (@mashable) December 7, 2016
Trump spoils Time’s “Person of the Year” reveal with tweet: https://t.co/I4uv1dGBbs pic.twitter.com/V8XoI7Ouvm
— The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2016
Time responds to apparent “horns” on Trump: “Any resemblance to cats, bats or devil horns is entirely coincidental” https://t.co/zoKbKcuNeR
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 7, 2016
Time’s Trump covers say all you need to know about 2016 https://t.co/GQRrOcNYED
— Vox (@voxdotcom) December 7, 2016
Donald Trump is TIME Person of the Year, joining past honorees including Hitler, Stalin, the Ayatollah Khamenei, and you.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 7, 2016