Time's Person of the Year Comes Down to These 4

For the fifth straight year, Donald Trump is on the short list for Time's Person of the Year. The president is one of four finalists revealed Wednesday on the Today show. The person "who affected the news or our lives the most, for better or worse" in the eye's of Time's editors will be revealed Thursday during a TV special set to air at 10pm ET on NBC—the first since Time began naming its Person of the Year in 1927. Earlier Thursday, Time revealed its Athlete of the Year (LeBron James) and Entertainer of the Year (BTS); still to be announced as of 11:30am ET were Businessperson of the Year and Guardian of the Year. For the main distinction, the finalists are:

• President Trump: Time describes the president's influence as "immense." The magazine points to his "highly criticized" handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as his baseless claims of election fraud. Trump was previously named Time's Person of the Year in 2016.
• Joe Biden: He was elected the 46th president of the United States with a record number of votes, per Time, becoming one of just 11 candidates to defeat a sitting president. He'll also be the oldest president in US history when sworn in next month.
• The movement for racial justice: Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal told Today this was "by some measures the largest mass protest in US history," per the Hill. Today reports the movement "caused a racial awakening in cities around the world, featuring politicians, athletes, celebrities, and people of all races marching and speaking out."
• Dr. Anthony Fauci and front-line health workers: Health care workers are honored for their tireless efforts at combating a deadly pandemic. "They risked their lives and in doing so, saved countless other lives,” per Time. Meanwhile, Fauci became "the most visible scientific leader in the US in 2020" while urging Americans to keep themselves and others safe.

Essential workers won the 2020 Person of the Year reader poll. (See 2019's Person of the Year here.)