---
description: This is the 90th time we have named the person who had the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year....
title: The Choice
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt61483e54222bface/6988b209a988ca0fb36ba619/cover-final.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9
---
* [U.S.](/section/us/)
## U.S.
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# The Choice (8 Dec 2016)
by
[Nancy Gibbs](/author/nancy-gibbs/)
## Nancy Gibbs
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Dec 8, 2016 2:02 PM CUT
President-elect Donald Trump photographed at his penthouse on the 66th floor of Trump Tower in New York City on Nov. 28\. Behind TIME’s Person of the Year cover
President-elect Donald Trump photographed at his penthouse on the 66th floor of Trump Tower in New York City on Nov. 28\. Behind TIME’s Person of the Year coverPhotograph by Nadav Kander for TIME
by
[Nancy Gibbs](/author/nancy-gibbs/)
## Nancy Gibbs
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Dec 8, 2016 2:02 PM CUT
This is the 90th time we have named the person who had the greatest influence, for better or worse, on the events of the year. So which is it this year: Better or worse? The challenge for Donald Trump is how profoundly the country disagrees about the answer….[Read the full story here.](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-donald-trump-choice/ "undefined")
Read more:
[TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year: Donald Trump](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-donald-trump/ "undefined")
[Runner-Up: Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-hillary-clinton-runner-up/ "undefined")
[Runner-Up: The Hackers](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-hackers-runner-up/ "undefined")
[Runner-Up: Recep Tayyip Erdogan](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-erdogan-runner-up/ "undefined")
[Runner-Up: The CRISPR Pioneers](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-crispr-runner-up/ "undefined")
[Runner-Up: Beyoncé](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-beyonce-runner-up/ "undefined")
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