Joe Biden and Kamala Harris named TIME's person of the year

TIME has announced Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the magazine's 2020 Person of the Year. The magazine made the announcement on Thursday night amid much anticipation. In a year that has been tumultuous, to say the least, it was the President-elect and Vice-President-elect that the magazine chose for its highest honor. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris beat incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence to clinch the 2020 Presidential elections. It's not the first time a President had been chosen to be the Person of the Year, with Trump winning the honor in 2016, and Barack Obama in 2012. "Person of the Year is not just about the year that was, but about where we're headed, and the next four years are going to be an enormous test of them and all of us to see whether they can bring about a unity," said TIME Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal as he announced the winners, reported People.

Joe Biden still holds that his decision to not meet hate with hate, while trying to win over Republicans is what united the nation and delivered his victory. “I got widely criticized for saying that we had to not greet Trump with a clenched fist but with more of an open hand. That we weren’t going to respond to hate with hate. What I got most criticized for was, I said we had to unite America,” said Biden, reported TIME. “I never came off that message.”

Joe Biden referred to the 2020 election as one that would have long-standing consequences for America on the world stage and back home. "This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment," said Biden, as he accepted the Democratic nomination in August last year, reported CNN. "This campaign isn't just about winning votes, it is about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America," said Biden. "We know in our bones, this one is more consequential." Trump's abysmal handling was one of the factors that swung the election Biden's way. "The President keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear. He keeps waiting for a miracle," said Biden at the time. "Well, I have news for him: no miracle is coming. We lead the world in confirmed cases. We lead the world in deaths. And after all this time, the President still does not have a plan. Well, I do." 

After winning the election, Biden said that the country was facing multiple crises and needed sound leadership. "This moment was one of those do-or-die moments," said Biden of the election results. "Had Trump won, I think we would have changed the nature of who we are as a country for a long time." Kamala Harris echoed Biden's thoughts. "We're at a moment where we will be confronted by many crises that have converged. We're talking about a public health crisis, we are in the midst of an economic crisis, a long-overdue reckoning on racial injustice, and a climate crisis," said Harris, reported People. "We got a lot of things that we need to handle, and we will multitask to address them all."

BTS was named Entertainer of the Year while LeBron James was named Athlete of the Year. Assa Traoré and racial-justice organizers were named Guardians of the Year by the magazine. Zoom founder Eric Yuan was named Business Person of the Year, especially with the growth of the company in the face of the pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the voice of reason for many in America during this trying year was named Guardian of the Year. Last year, Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist from Sweden, was named the Person of the Year. Thunberg had captured the imagination of the public as she brought the world's attention to the burning issue of climate change.