‘TIME’ Person Of The Year 2020: Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Named Most Influential Of The Year

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are BOTH being recognized as the most influential people of 2020 by TIME. The magazine officially announced the news by naming its Person(s) of the Year on Dec. 10.

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December 10, 2020 10:57PM EST
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United States Senator Kamala Harris (Democrat of California) speaks during a television interview at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Credit: Stefani Reynolds / CNP. 24 Jun 2020 Pictured: United States Senator Kamala Harris (Democrat of California) speaks during a television interview at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Credit: Stefani Reynolds / CNP. Photo credit: Stefani Reynolds - CNP / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA683531_004.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
July 28, 2022 New York, NY, USA - American Vice President Kamala Harris deplanes at New York's LaGuardia Airport.The Vice President is greeted by NYS Lt. Governor, Antonio Delgado. She is in New York City to announce new private and public sector efforts to align tens of billions in investments in underserved communities. This will include the formation of a new Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC) to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunity in communities of color and other underserved communities. VP Harris Visits New York City, New York, New York, USA - 28 Jul 2022
US Vice President Kamala Harris (C) during her meeting with Polish and US soldiers at the 1st Airlift Base in Warsaw, Poland, 11 March 2022. The visit of the US vice president is a demonstration of the United States' support for NATO's eastern flank allies in the face of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. US Vice Psocieresident Kamala Harris visits Poland, Warsaw - 11 Mar 2022

This year we get a twofer! The 2020 TIME Person of the Year is….Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The President-elect and his future Vice President were given the honor in 2020, and Bruce Springsteen made the big announcement. He said, “The events of 2020 have changed us in ways that we thought were unthinkable until this year. A once in a generation health crisis has rocked our lives while also demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit. A rallying cry for justice and inequality has rung out around the world, and across the nation, a record number of Americans made their voice heard, making history across the way. For nearly 100 years, TIME has named the Person of the Year. In 2020, the TIME Person Of The Year is President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.”

In December of every year TIME votes for one person or group who has been the most influential over the previous 12 months. Whether their influence is good or bad, the person who is given the honor undoubtedly has made a major impact on the world. This year’s announcement was made on Dec. 10, just hours after TIME announced the finalists for the honor: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, frontline healthcare workers & Dr. Anthony Fauci and the movement for racial justice.

Obviously, 2020 has been an extremely difficult year. This year’s finalists all made major headlines due to the election, coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement, which intensified after the killing of George Floyd in May. In addition to Person of the Year, TIME also announced that k-pop group BTS is the Entertainer of the Year, while LeBron James was named Athlete of the Year. 

In 2019, the Person of the Year was climate change activist, Greta Thunberg. She was the youngest person to ever win the honor. While Greta started out as a single protester in Switzerland, she received worldwide attention in 2019 when she gave a passionate speech at the United Nations.

The Person of the Year in 2018 was ‘The Guardians.’ This group was made up of four journalists/groups of journalists who “went above and beyond” to tell their stories throughout the year. The ‘Silence Breakers’ — a group of people who led the movement of speaking out against sexual harassment — were named Person of the Year in 2017. This group included Taylor Swift, Ashley Judd, and more. Meanwhile, Trump was considered most influential in 2016, due to the major buzz surrounding that year’s election.