On Thursday, TIME will announce its 2024 Person of the Year.
Since 1927, TIME has named the person, group, or idea that had the most impact—for better or worse—on the world during the previous 12 months. In 2023, TIME chose pop star Taylor Swift as Person of the Year. Other previous candidates include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the “spirit of Ukraine” in 2022, tech titan Elon Musk in 2021, Ebola fighters in 2014, and former US President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008.
Ten candidates, revealed this morning on NBC Today show, are considered for TIME's annual nominations. Here are the finishers, in alphabetical order by last name.
Kamala Harris
On the night of July 21, President Joe Biden announced that he was ending his presidential campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. What followed was a dramatic 107-day presidential campaign as Harris sought to become the first female President. Harris focused on her campaign for reproductive rights, criticizing former President Donald Trump for his role in the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn. Roe v. Wade, and suggested that Trump is a threat to democracy. But he lost to Trump, and he conceded the race on November 6. Harris, along with Biden, was previously on the cover of Person of the Year in 2020—a year in which the two defeated Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Kate Middleton
The Princess of Wales made headlines around the world this year and sparked a conversation about the privacy and health of famous people. In January, Kate Middleton was hospitalized for two weeks for “planned abdominal surgery” and Kensington Palace said she would be out of the public eye until Easter. But after conspiracy theories spread online in March about Middleton's whereabouts, the royal put the rumors to rest by revealing she had been diagnosed with cancer. In September, Middleton announced that she had completed her chemotherapy. Middleton was previously on the TIME100 Most Influential People list in 2013, and was a runner-up for Person of the Year in 2011.
EMusk
Elon Musk has long been a new disruptor. From online payments to electric cars to the commercial space, Tesla's CEO has scaled the industry, and in 2022 he bought and restructured the social media platform known as Twitter, renaming it X in 2023. But 2024 was the year Musk became the richest. man in the world, according to Forbes– entered the world of politics. He endorsed Trump, appeared at rallies, promoted pro-Trump content on X, and helped Trump build his presidential agenda. After Trump's victory, Musk's power only increased, and the President-elect announced that Musk will lead a new commission, the Department of Public Works, which is expected to propose cuts to federal employees and regulations. Musk was previously named TIME Person of the Year for 2021.
Yulia Navalnaya
Russian economist Yulia Navalnaya has been in the spotlight this year following the death of her husband and the country's opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February. Navalnaya announced after her husband's death in prison that she would continue her work. She has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband and has met with world leaders, including Biden, as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Dubbed the “first lady” of Russia's opposition, Navalnaya also made TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been one of the world's most influential and controversial leaders this year. Defying criticism of his war with Hamas, the terrorist organization that killed 1,200 people when it attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu continued his military offensive in the Gaza Strip this year, as the death toll there rose to 44,056, according to. in the Gaza Ministry of Health. In September, Netanyahu escalated the war in northern Lebanon, as Israel killed most of Iran's Hezbollah leadership in airstrikes and using explosives hidden in pagers. “We are in the middle of a war, a seven-front war,” Netanyahu told TIME in August. “I think we have to focus on one thing: winning.” In November, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, the former defense minister, and a senior Hamas military officer, on charges of crimes against humanity. Netanyahu was on the TIME100 list in 2019.
JPowell
Jerome Powell has been the chairman of the US Federal Reserve since 2018, serving under both the Trump and Biden administrations. As chairman, he steered the ship on the economy, which voters identified as a top issue in the 2024 election. Although Powell was appointed to replace Trump, the President-elect repeatedly criticized the Fed during his first term in office, accusing it of keeping interest rates too high. Powell emphasized the importance of the Fed's independence from political parties and elected officials. He has been on the TIME100 list twice—in 2019 and 2020—and is on the shortlist for Person of the Year in 2023.
Joe Rogan
Podcaster Joe Rogan has had a big year. The Joe Rogan Experience—a podcast where he talks about current events, humor, politics, and everything in between—was the top podcast on Spotify in 2024 for the fifth year in a row, and averaged 11 million listeners per episode, mostly young men. In August, Netflix aired his stand-up special, Joe Rogan: Burn Your Boats. In the days leading up to the election, Rogan released a three-hour interview with Trump, which Rogan later endorsed, with some voters saying the interview influenced their decision. Rogan is a divisive figure, having faced backlash for spreading COVID-19 misinformation on his show and using racial slurs in the past. Rogan was on TIME100's 2022 Most Influential People list.
Claudia Sheinbaum
In October, Claudia Sheinbaum made history when she was sworn in as the first female President of Mexico. Sheinbaum, a lifelong leftist, is also the first Jewish leader in more than 200 years since the country gained independence. Sheinbaum is focused on his pro-poor campaign, and has taken office at a time when Mexico is facing problems ranging from a struggling economy to a rise in organized violence. After Trump announced his plan to impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico coming to the US, Sheinbaum was quick to issue a strong response, indicating that Mexico will retaliate with tariffs against the US. Sheinbaum was also on the TIME100 Climate list this year. .
Donald Trump
In a stunning political comeback, Donald Trump won the 2024 election. He reshaped the American electorate, turning on young male voters who propelled him to a landslide victory that saw him win the popular vote for the first time and turn every state red. Trump's stunning victory comes after he lost the 2020 election to Biden and repeatedly refused to accept the results. His victory in 2024 is historic in many ways: he will be the oldest President in US history, and he was convicted earlier this year by a New York jury of 34 counts of fraud, making him the first person convicted of being elected President. In his 2024 campaign, he identified the economy and the border as his priorities. He has promised to impose tariffs on America's top trading partners—Mexico, Canada, and China—when he takes office, economists worry, and has announced controversial Cabinet appointments. Trump was previously named TIME's Person of the Year in 2016, the year he won the presidency for the first time.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg has been under the microscope this year as the billionaire CEO of Meta faces government scrutiny of Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. Earlier this year, Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs faced questions during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the impact of social media on young people. During the 2024 election cycle, election, state and local officials expressed concern about the spread of misinformation on Facebook. Forbes estimates that, as of December, Zuckerberg's profits reached $210 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world. He made the TIME100 AI list in 2024, and was named TIME's Person of the Year in 2010, the year Facebook surpassed half a billion users.
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