NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, after Time magazine recognized him for the second time as Person of the Year.
The honors for the businessman turned politician are a measure of Trump's remarkable comeback from a sidelined former president who refused to accept his electoral defeat four years ago to decisively winning the White House in November.
Before ringing the opening bell at 9:30 a.m., for the first time, Trump said it was "a tremendous honor."
"Time magazine, receiving this honor for the second time, I think I like it more this time, actually," he said.
Accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, his daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, Trump smiled as the crowd chanted "United States" before the operations began. He then raised his fist.
In his comments, he talked about some of the people he has named for his upcoming administration, including Treasury nominee Scott Bessent, and some of his announced policies, including a promise this week that the federal government will issue expedited permits, including environmental permits, for projects and constructions worth over $1 billion.
"I think we are going to have tremendous success. We have to solve some problems, some big problems in the world," he said.
The most influential person in the news
Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief of Time, announced on NBC's "Today" show that Trump was Time's Person of the Year. Jacobs said that Trump was someone who "for better or for worse, had the greatest influence on the news in 2024."
"This is someone who made a historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency, and who is reshuffling American politics," Jacobs said. "It's hard to argue the fact that the person moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in the news."
In an interview with the magazine published on Thursday, Trump talked about his latest election campaign and his victory.
"I called it '72 Days of Fury'," said Trump. "We touched a nerve in the country. The country was angry."
At the ceremonial start of operations on Wall Street, the Time magazine cover featuring it was projected on a wall of the stock exchange, flanked by American flags.
Trump took the stage at the stock exchange flanked by members of his family and members of his upcoming administration as his favorite entrance song, "God Bless the U.S.A.," played.
Trump was also Time's Person of the Year in 2016, when he was first elected to the White House. He was listed as a finalist for this year's award alongside other candidates that included Vice President Kamala Harris, X owner Elon Musk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kate, the Princess of Wales.
Wall Street regularly invites celebrities and business leaders to participate in the opening of trading operations.
In his latest interview published on Thursday, Trump reiterated that he is going to pardon the majority of those convicted in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. "It's going to start in the first hour," he said about the pardons. "Maybe in the first nine minutes."
Regarding the war in Gaza, Trump said he wants to end the conflict and that Netanyahu knows it. When asked if he trusted Netanyahu, Trump told Time magazine: "I don't trust anyone."
The incoming president also discussed his plans for mass deportations and argued that he will have the authority to use the military to assist with the effort.
Trump crafted his image as a wealthy real estate developer, who rose to fame as the reality show star of "The Apprentice" and during his presidential campaign. He won the election in part by tapping into Americans' anxieties about the economy's ability to provide for the middle class.
In an interview on CNBC after ringing the bell, Trump compared the extensive cuts to the federal workforce that he and his advisors have announced with the dismissals of contestants he made on television.
"We are going to do the same thing, I can tell you. Unfortunately, there are too many of them," said Trump.
Later, he walked around the trading floor and greeted the traders with a handshake.