The other day, writer Mark Evanier suggested that The Donald’s tweet boasting that he had turned down TIME Magazines offer to declare him “Person of the Year” for a second year in a row, could have been a crafty stratagem. Here’s Mark’s theory:
By tweeting what the man done tweeted, Trump probably figures he's set up this situation: If Time does decide to scorn him for the "honor," he's got the perfect rejoinder — "Well, of course I'm the greatest newsmaker who's ever lived but I told Time I didn't want their silly title but I told them to shove it so they had to go pick someone else."
And if they do decide they want to slap his smug face on their cover, he'll have a bargaining position to maybe influence the story somehow…maybe force them to switch back to "Man of the Year." Last year, when they named him "Person of the Year," he griped about the "political correctness" even though it made him the top of a much larger group. The point is he can maybe make them do something that will enable him to go to his base and brag, "I made that lying magazine kiss my ass." If he sits for a special photo and interview, he can put conditions on it. If he doesn't, he can say, "They had to give me the honor even though I told them to go to hell."
Is Mark right? Is The Donald playing 11th Dimensional Checkers against the Lamestream Media? (Checkers. As Mark also observes, The Donald does not play Chess). That may well be his cunning plan. But does he really have TIME backed into a corner? Hmm… maybe. Maybe not.
I suspect that TIME will choose whoever they want to be their Symbolic Cover of the Year and ignore this tweet. But if they want to give Trump a pointed reply, I can see them doing something like this:
TIME: People of the Year: WOMEN COMING FORWARD TO ACCUSE SEXUAL HARASSERS
They’d have to find a more euphonious way to phrase it, of course, but that’s why their editors make the Big Bucks. It fits with TIME’s liking for naming groups, or trends or in some instances inanimate objects as it’s “TIME MAGAZINE _________ of the YEAR”
Yes, I can see them doing this.