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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Time Magazine has named U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as “Person of the Year” on Thursday, December 12, citing his profound impact on American politics and the nation's role in the world.
"For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year," wrote Editor-in-Chief Time, Sam Jacobs, in a letter to the readers.
The news magazine had previously awarded the title "Person of the Year" to Trump in 2016 following his first electoral triumph. The magazine named Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris "Person of the Year" in 2020 after they defeated Trump. Pop star Taylor Swift received the title last year.
The latest "Person of the Year" issue features an in-depth interview with Trump conducted on November 25 at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Here is Trump's stance on the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
Use of U.S. Missiles by Ukraine
Trump criticized the use of U.S.-supplied missiles by Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory.
"It's crazywhat's taking place. It's crazy. I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We're just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done.," Trump told Time, as quoted by Reuters.
"Now they're doing not only missiles, but they're doing other types of weapons. And I think that's a very big mistake, very big mistake."
Trump said he would not abandon Ukraine. "I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you're going to reach an agreement is not to abandon," he said.
President Joe Biden last month lifted the U.S. restriction on Ukraine using U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia, his latest effort to boost Kyiv in its struggle to repel Russian invasion forces from its country.
The decision followed a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The White House cited Russia's deployment of 15,000 North Korean troops along the front lines as a primary reason why Biden changed his mind.
Trump said he wanted to end the nearly three-year war immediately. He told Time that he has a "very good plan" to help, but if he revealed it now it would become “almost a worthless plan."
Trump, who will assume office on January 20, met last weekend with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
He told Time that the number of people dying in the conflict is unsustainable.
"I'm talking on both sides. It’s really an advantage to both sides to get this thing done," he said.
War in the Middle East
Trump promised to resolve the crises besetting the Middle East amid Israel's war against the Gaza Strip, historical developments in Syria, and a tenuous truce between Hezbollah and Israel, Anadolu Agency reported.
Trump said the war in the Middle East would be resolved and that he doesn't trust anyone, including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"I think the Middle East is going to get solved. I think it's more complicated than the Russia-Ukraine, but I think it's, it’s, it’s easier to solve," Trump said.
When asked if he would allow Israel to annex the West Bank, Trump said, "I will—what I'm doing and what I'm saying again, I'll say it again, I want a long lasting peace."
Asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provided him with assurance that he would wrap up his war against besieged Gaza, Trump demurred, saying, "I don’t want to say that, but I think he feels very confident in me."
"I think he knows I want it to end. I want everything to end," he said. "I don't want people from either side killed, and that includes whether it's Russia, Ukraine, or whether it's the Palestinians and the Israelis and all of the, you know, the different entities that we have in the Middle East."
More than 44,800 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its onslaught against the coastal enclave, according to official figures. The UN estimates 70% of the dead have been women and children.
Trump declined to elaborate on what developments in the Middle East he believes are productive, and did not endorse a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, including a controversial plan he put forward during his first term.
"I support whatever solution we can do to get peace. There are other ideas other than two state, but I support whatever, whatever is necessary to get not just peace, a lasting peace," he said.
REUTERS | ANADOLU | TIME MAGAZINE
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