Tweeting from his resort in Florida, President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that he was "probably" selected as Time Magazine's "Person of the Year," but Trump said he refused the magazine's demands for the award.
Trump claimed that in order to be selected, he would have to agree to participate in an interview and photo shoot, which he said he declined to do.
"Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year," like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot," Trump tweeted on Friday. "I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!"
Trump has generally avoided granting interviews to most news outlets, with the exception being Fox News. His last televised interview on a network other than Fox News was in May.
Later on Friday, Time Magazine disputed Trump's tweet.
"The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6," Time Magazine said in a tweet.
Trump was named Person of the Year by Time for the first time in 2016 after winning the presidential election. Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has been named Time's Person of the Year at least once.
Recent presidents, such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have been named Person of the Year twice. The last person to be named Person of the Year two straight years was Richard Nixon in 1971 and 72.
The selection recognizes the person who, for good or bad, had the most influence over that year's events. Sometimes such selections have resulted in controversy. Figures such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin have been named as Person of the Year.
