Joe Biden, Kamala Harris named Time Person of the Year 2020

New York:  US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been chosen as Time magazine's 2020 'Person of the Year', the publication announced Friday (December 11). 

"For changing the American story, for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division, for sharing a vision of healing in a grieving world," Time said, explaining its choice.

Three others finalists for the title were the frontline health workers and top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, outgoing President Donald Trump, and the movement for racial justice, which was sparked by the killing of George Floyd in May.

"Together, they offered restoration and renewal in a single ticket. And America bought what they were selling," the publication said.

Biden beat Trump by 306 electoral college votes to Trump's 232 to end the real estate tycoon turned politician's presidency after one term.

Biden received roughly seven million more votes than his Republican adversary, who is yet to concede, claiming widespread fraud of which there is no evidence.

"Biden and Harris had to revive the party's fading strength with white voters without college degrees; energize its emerging base of diverse, urban young voters; and motivate the hordes of angry suburbanites, particularly college graduates and women, who had fled the Trump-era GOP," it wrote.

Time magazine's award is handed out annually since 1927. It honours the person or people who most impacted the news, for better or worse, during the calendar year.  

Time Magazine has always had a special connection with American Presidents. President Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Bush have been Time's Person in history. Every elected President at some point of time was nominated for the Person of the Year. This year it is for the first time that Time has nominated a Vice President as the person of the year. US Vice president-elect Kamala Harris has created history as she is the first woman and person of Indian- Jamaican heritage to occupy  US Vice President's post. 

Last year, climate activist Greta Thunberg had won the title. She was the youngest person to be chosen for the honour by the magazine in a tradition that started in 1927.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are TIME's 2020 Person of the Year #TIMEPOY https://t.co/o97QNlSBrl pic.twitter.com/KuoBoebBN4

— TIME (@TIME) December 11, 2020

Time's magazine cover boasts portraits of Biden, 78, and Harris, 56, with the subtitle "Changing America's story." 

Earlier Thursday (December 10), Time named basketball superstar LeBron James Athlete of the Year for his achievements on and off the court.

The 35-year-old Los Angeles Lakers player was honoured for battling voter suppression among Black citizens in a year when he won his fourth NBA title.