Why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Were Named Time Magazine's Person of the Year

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
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Edward Felsenthal, editor-in-chief and CEO of Time, said in a video tweeted by Time, that "the next four years are going to be an enormous test of them and all of us to see whether they can bring about the unity they've promised." 

President-elect Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris have been titled Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Edward Felsenthal, editor-in-chief and CEO of Time, said in a video tweeted by Time, that "the next four years are going to be an enormous test of them and all of us to see whether they can bring about the unity they've promised." 

Time Magazine cites a list of executive orders that Biden hopes to implement once he sets foot in the Oval Office, including restoring DACA, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and reversing travel bans, CBS News reported.

"Biden and Harris share a faith that empathetic governance can restore the solidarity we've lost," Time Magazine wrote in its tribute. "... All new Presidents inherit messes from their predecessors, but Biden is the first to have to think about literally decontaminating the White House. Combatting the pandemic is only the start of the challenge, at home and abroad. There are alliances to rebuild, a stimulus package to pass, a government to staff." 

On the shortlist for the title were: the movement for racial justice, Donald Trump, and frontline health care workers and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"2020 has not been a kind year. It's been a year that preyed on the weak and the sick. A year that claimed lives and tested trust. A year filled with division and upended by chaos," the narrator says in a video posted by Time. "... But it's a world still filled with courage, compassion and heart."

Both Biden and Harris expressed their  gratitude for the title on Twitter Friday.

"I’m honored to be Person of the Year with @KamalaHarris and grateful to be on this list with so many extraordinary folks," he wrote. "From front line workers to racial justice organizers, Americans met this year with strength, fortitude, and an unflinching belief in a brighter tomorrow.

"Honored to be named @TIME’s Person of the Year with President-elect @JoeBiden. We’re at a moment where we’re being confronted by multiple crises that have converged. We have a lot we need to handle in the days ahead but I know together we can get it done," she wrote.

Last year, Greta Thunberg was given the title for her work as a dedicated activist and environmental leader.

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