>>> WE ARE BACK NOW, 8:14, WITH
OUR EXCLUSIVE, FIRST LOOK AT THE
SHORT LIST FOR "TIME’S" PERSON
OF THE YEAR.
>> SINCE 1927, "TIME" SELECTED
THE MAN, WOMAN, OR GROUP OR
CONCEPT WITH THE MOST INFLUENCE
ON THE WORLD.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE DURING THE
PAST 12 MONTHS.
MORE THAN A DECADE, WE’VE BEEN
REVEALING THE TOP CONTENDERS ON
"TODAY."
>> EDWARD FELSENTHAL, "TIME’S"
EDITOR IN CHIEF, HERE TO HELP
US.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> WELL, 2020 COULD BE THE MAN
OF THE YEAR.
IT’S BEEN QUITE A BUSY YEAR.
HOW DID YOU NARROW IT DOWN?
>> A YEAR AGO, WE LAST DID THIS.
SEEMS LIKE LONGER.
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
HOW DID YOU NARROW IT DOWN?
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S ALWAYS HARD.
THIS IS THE HARDEST YEAR THAT
I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN.
SO MANY MASSIVE STORIES ALL OVER
THE WORLD.
RACIAL JUSTICE, THE PANDEMIC,
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, WILDFIRE
WILDFIRES.
I MEAN, REALLY, REALLY
CHALLENGING YEAR TO MAKE THIS
CALL.
>> ALL RIGHT.
EDWARD, LET’S NARROW IT DOWN.
WE’RE GOING TO BREAK IT DOWN AND
REVEAL THE TOP FOUR.
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, WE’LL
BEGIN WITH THE FIRST ONE,
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HIM?
>> WELL, HISTORIC WIN.
MORE POPULAR VOTES THAN ANY
PRESIDENT IN HISTORY.
LARGER PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULAR
VOTE THAN ANYBODY CHALLENGING AN
INCUMBENT SINCE FDR.
HISTORIC CHOICE FOR VICE
PRESIDENT.
VERY DIFFERENT MESSAGE THAN
WE’VE SEEN THE LAST FOUR YEARS,
EMPHASIZING EMPATHY AND UNITY.
OBVIOUSLY
OBVIOUSLY, ENORMOUS IMPACT ON
THIS YEAR AND THE YEARS TO COME.
>> NEXT UP, PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP MAKES THE SHORT LIST.
HE WAS YOUR PERSON OF THE YEAR
IN 2016.
WHY IS HE ON THE LIST THIS YEAR?
>> HE WAS.
HE WASN’T RE-ELECTED, BUT HE’S
NOT GOING AWAY.
HE’S STILL VERY MUCH IN CONTROL
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
COMPLETELY CHANGED THE NORMS OF
CAMPAIGNING FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE, AS HE CHANGED SO MANY
NORMS THROUGHOUT HIS TERM.
HE HAS, OBVIOUSLY, HAD A HUGE
INFLUENCE, FOR BETTER OR WORSE,
AS WE SAY WITH PERSON OF THE
YEAR, IN HOW HE HANDLED THE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
OBVIOUSLY, MASSIVE, MASSIVE
INFLUENCE ON THE YEAR.
>> EDWARD, SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE
PEOPLE, AND SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE
A GROUP, OR MAYBE A MOVEMENT.
AT NUMBER THREE FOR YOU IS THE
MOVEMENT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE,
WHICH WAS FRONT AND CENTER THIS
YEAR.
>> WELL, THIS WAS JUST,
OBVIOUSLY, AN EXTRAORDINARY AND
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT STORY.
THE KILLINGS OF GEORGE FLOYD,
ARBURY, BREONNA TAYLOR, SO MANY
OTHERS, JALAND HAD THE LARGEST
PROTEST IN U.S. HISTORY.
10% OF THE POPULATION ACROSS 50
STATES, DEMANDING THE COUNTRY
STEP UP AND STOP MAKINGE INGING
ABOUT RACISM, SYSTEMIC RACISM.
>> FINALLY, OUR LAST CATEGORY,
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, JOINED BY A
GROUP WE CERTAINLY OWE OUR LIVES
TO THIS YEAR, FRONT LINE
WORKERS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A ONCE IN A
CENTURY STORY, AFFECTED EVERY
SINGLE PERSON ON THE GLOBE IN
SOME WAY.
DR. FAUCI IN THE UNITED STATES,
STANDING UP FOR SCIENCE AT A
TIME WHEN SCIENCE REALLY NEEDED
TO BE STOOD UP FOR.
SO MANY WORKERS, HEALTH CARE
WORKERS, AND OTHER WORKERS ALL
OVER THE WORLD WHO RISKED THEIR
LIVES TO SAVE OTHER PEOPLE’S
LIVES, WHO TRAVELED TO HARD-HIT
SPOTS, SLEPT IN THEIR CARS TO
SPARE THEIR FAMILIES FROM EXPO
EXPOSURE
EXPOSURE.
JUST EXTRAORDINARY ACTION AMONG
THIS GROUP AND DR. FAUCI.
>> EDWARD, THANK YOU.
I GUESS WE FIND OUT WHO THE
LUCKY WINNER IS TONIGHT ON THE
PRIMETIME SPECIAL.
>> NBC PRIMETIME SPECIAL.
WE’LL LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.
EDWARD, THANK YOU.
ALWAYS HAPPY TO BE ON YOUR SHORT
LIST OF WHERE TO REVEAL IT.
THANKS.
>> THANKS, EDWARD.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING US.
>>> LET’S GET -- OH, WE WANT TO
KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
GO TO TODAY.COM AND CAST YOUR
VOTE.
AGAIN, YOU WILL FIND OUT THE
ANSWER TONIGHT AT PRIMETIME
SPECIAL AT 10:00/9:00 CENTRAL
HERE ON NBC.
>>> BY THE WAY, AHEAD IN THE
THIRD HOUR, WE’RE GOING TO
REVEAL "TIME’S" ENTERTAINER OF
THE YEAR AND ATHLETE OF THE
YEAR.
THEY DO ALL THOSE THINGS.
>>> RIGHT NOW, LET’S TURN IT