President Donald Trump, his Democratic rival Joe Biden, and Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris find a place in TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2020 list.
They were named in the ‘leaders’ category that also includes top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Chinese President Xi Jin Ping, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an article about Trump, TIME’s senior White House correspondent Brian Bennet says, “In nearly four years, his norm-shattering presidency has shown that a President willing to repeatedly slam through the guardrails can bend the government, often to serve his personal political interests.”
The article, highly critical of the president, presents a number of charges against him, including stripping away environmental regulations, ignoring calls for a national reckoning with structural racism and fanning the flames of racial unrest, and downplaying the severity of COVID-19 early on and pressuring government scientists to change their recommendations as the virus spread to eventually kill more than 200,000 Americans.
An article about Joe Biden describes him as “honest, compassionate and empathetic.” “He will fight to lead us through these unprecedented challenges,” according to Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn.
Kamala Harris’ nomination as Democratic Vice President “is the realization of a dream that so many have struggled for so long to make possible,” TIME magazine says.
Harris has always been a trailblazer. She broke barriers in California, made history in the U.S. Senate, and now she’s the first Black woman and first Indian American to be nominated for Vice President by a major political party.
Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic Congresswoman from Massachusetts, says she has been honored to work alongside Harris in Congress and to bear witness to her passion, tenacity and dedication.
As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci has advised six Presidents over 36 years. “When COVID-19 reared its ugly head, he was among the first to step forward with facts and only facts,” according to TIME.
An article on Dr. Fauci says he doesn’t sugarcoat his words and refuses to be pressured by politicians. “He delivers the truth, as difficult as it may be to hear, earnestly and with one goal: to save lives. His courage and candor have earned our trust. We are all fortunate to have a man of his wisdom, experience and integrity to help us navigate these difficult waters”.
Source: Read Full Article