Original subtitles

-Time goes by so fast.

[ Cheering ]

-We did it, Joe.

-The people of this nation

have spoken.

-But on the other hand,

some times just don't seem

to go fast enough.

-We need to bend the curve.

-200,000 dead.

-This year has had millions

on the edge of their seats,

braced for impact,

seat belts fastened up.

No need for a script.

The facts are a mess.

Still, we've had to adjust

not only to

the consistent turmoil

on the news we all watched,

but to the collective anxiety

we've all got.

-200,000 Americans killed

by the coronavirus.

-A feeling we have now

and have had since the second

the ball dropped.

Rumor turned pandemic

in a matter of weeks.

Before we were in long lines

at the polls,

we were crowded in the streets,

forced to march for our peace.

And to say the least,

it's been a year.

And not unlike

the past 93 years,

Time has consistently

shown the world

what the word "influence" means.

Time's Person of the Year

is not an award.

It is a marker.

-Thank God Almighty.

-A prism through which

we watched

from our own individual sections

of the spectrum.

-These are the men of Apollo 8.

-It is reflection,

history as it's written,

whether good or bad.

And tonight will encapsulate

2020 for years to come,

highlighting individuals

that kept us in awe,

others that made us think.

-Divided we fall.

-Those whose vision impacted

the world with great success.

Those who we may not agree with

but history won't let us forget.

We'll take a look at an athlete,

an entertainer,

a business leader, and those

that are guardians of truth

at a moment

when we need them most.

Finally, we'll highlight

the not only influential

but also impactful

Person of the Year.

So in its first-ever

television broadcast,

this is

"Time Person of the Year."

-Hello, everyone.

McConaughey here.

And welcome to

"Time Person of the Year."

Over the next hour,

we are going to profile

a collection of individuals

who played an outsized role

in shaping the singular

experience that was 2020.

Tonight, we're not

handing out awards,

but we are

recognizing influence.

We're marking this moment

in living history.

You might say

it's a time capsule.

We begin by recognizing

the single athlete

who most profoundly

impacted 2020.

This year, many players

stepped outside the lines

of their profession

to advocate

for what they believed in.

For some, it was a first venture

into public discourse.

But for this towering figure,

it was simply the next step

in a long history

of speaking up.

On the court and off,

his influence proved

as immense as ever.

The Time Athlete of the Year...

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

-LeBron James.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

-I just hope that they accept me

for who I am

as a basketball player

and especially as a person.

You know,

I'm not coming into the team

right away

trying to be a leader.

But if they give that to me,

I know how to be a leader.

But I'm just gonna

accept my role

until I have to do something.

♪♪♪

-An athlete's true voice

is found

when their talents on the court

are rivaled

by their impact off of it...

a combination

of athletic dominance

and social impact

so powerful

the world has not witnessed

since the days of Muhammad Ali.

In the case of LeBron James,

in the year 2020,

he has found a king's voice.

-I know people get tired

of hearing me say it,

but we are scared

as black people in America.

Black men, black women,

black kids --

we are -- we are terrified.

♪♪♪

-Well, I've seen LeBron mature

and evolve

as a leader, as an athlete,

you know, as an individual.

He's taken every opportunity

he has been given

to do things for others.

-When you see someone

with the stature of LeBron

speaking out on these issues,

these are the sacrifices

that he's willing to make

time and time again.

And it's admirable to watch

and, you know,

inspiration to a whole culture.

-No justice!

-No peace!

-No justice!

-No peace!

-No justice!

-No peace!

-In 2020, as we witnessed

devastating acts

of police brutality,

a league-wide stoppage in play

occurred in the middle

of the NBA playoffs.

LeBron would simply

not shut up and dribble.

-LeBron was frustrated.

He was --

He was ready to walk away.

He realized, like,

"Hey, we -- Wait a second.

We have an opportunity.

We can ask the owners

to work with us.

Let's open up the arenas

to become polling places.

Help us back More Than A Vote."

-When you see what the voter

turnout was in Detroit,

when you see Atlanta

and what happened there,

it literally helped to change

the course of history.

♪♪♪

-What LeBron James has done

is gonna forever change

the athlete's role in society.

Athletes know they can step out,

they know they can speak up,

and we saw this

all over the world this year.

♪♪♪

-It's examples like that

that makes it possible

for the next generation, the

next athlete to take that risk.

-LeBron has ignited

the younger generation

to really share our voices

on the issues

that we feel passionate about.

-To really fight for something

and stand for something.

-It's time to look in the mirror

and ask ourselves,

"What are we doing

to create change?"

-♪ Let me be

your everlasting light ♪

-It's beautiful

to watch and witness

someone who hasn't forgotten

the circumstances and

the obstacles that he's overcome

and the place

from where he came.

-♪ I'm a shepherd for you ♪

♪ And I'll guide you through ♪

♪ Let me be

your everlasting light ♪

-He's just a kid from Akron.

This past season,

he once again

reached great heights

on the basketball court,

but off of it,

he emerged as something

so much more meaningful.

-You know,

I'm not coming into the team

right away

trying to be a leader.

But if they give that to me,

I know how to be a leader.

-And that, even more

than the titles and the MVPs

is LeBron James'

greatest legacy.

♪♪♪

-The Time Guardian of the Year

recognizes those

who protect what we hold sacred.

And there is little more sacred

than the truth.

That's why Time is recognizing

courageous individuals

who have defended facts against

the seductive power of fiction.

The grim toll

of the COVID-19 pandemic

is challenging

for any of us to confront,

but those on the front lines

must do it every day.

Tonight, we recognize

their tremendous sacrifice

on our behalf.

Time's first

Guardian of the Year --

frontline healthcare workers.

-[ Speaking native language ]

-Is this all really worth it

for me to potentially get sick,

potentially

bring it home to my wife?

-You know that there is a risk.

You're confident you can handle

the concept of death and dying.

-[ Speaking native language ]

-The first confirmed U.S. case

now in Washington State.

-The state reporting

another 6,000 COVID cases.

-The coronavirus has surged

past 9 million cases.

-This is too much.

-One, two, three.

-As the deaths escalate,

so does the fear.

-I thought, "Maybe I need

to work on my will."

-The public is writing us

thank-you notes

and sending pizza.

What we need is for you

to stop exposing us.

-I'm sad that I got sick.

I really didn't expect to.

To get back in the front line,

that will be something

I'm looking forward to.

-This is the first time

that a pulmonologist

has ever been the most

important person in the world.

-Doctors, nurses, housekeeping,

the clerks,

we are the closest

to your family right now,

and we're gonna

take care of them.

-Tonight, icons and artists

from all over the world

join us in recognizing the

most influential people of 2020.

Powerful stories,

exclusive performances.

And later, we'll find out

who will be

Time's Person of the Year.

.

-"Time's Person of the Year"

is proudly produced

in partnership with P&G.

-This is not new.

This has happened before.

-In every downturn...

-And disaster in history...

-Gender equality

has been set back...

-As women have stepped forward.

-Women always bear a heavy cost.

-More of the frontline care.

-More of the pay cuts.

-More of the jobs lost.

-More of the responsibilities

at home.

-Keeping them from going back

to paid work.

-These times...

-Are not unprecedented.

-But they give us another chance

for equality.

-If we all choose

to step forward as equals.

-Care equal.

-Hire equal.

-Pay equal.

-Model equal.

-Do equal.

-Choose equal.

-At home.

-At work.

-Right now.

-For an equal future.

♪♪♪

-You're watching

"Person of the Year."

In a moment, Vanessa Bryant

pays tribute

to the lives lost in 2020.

But first, Rosario Dawson.

-Our next Guardian of the Year

followed her truth,

even when it led her

off the page.

When Joe Biden met with

the community of Jacob Blake,

one Kenosha woman set aside

the prepared remarks

of her local organization

to instead speak from the heart.

The next Guardian of the Year,

Porche Bennett-Bey.

[ Gunshots ]

-Tonight, passionate pleas

demanding justice.

-Police shooting of Jacob Blake

in the back multiple times.

-They started calling us

a war zone.

Every night, it was ugly.

We were cleaning up,

and the officer literally

held his gun to my head

when I bent over

to pick up a water bottle.

This is my backyard, you know.

That could have been my brother.

I'm a woman

and I do not fear you.

Just gonna be honest, Mr. Biden.

You need the truth.

I speak for the people

in this city

because I live in this city,

and the truth of the matter is,

we are heavily angry.

And it didn't just

start with Jacob.

I needed him to see anger.

I needed him to see death.

I needed him to see

what they try to shield

themselves from seeing.

Why are there

more police officers

in the black neighborhoods

than in other neighborhoods?

Why are we more targeted

than anybody else?

-Black lives matter!

-For so many decades, we've been

shown we don't matter.

And right now,

we just want someone

who's going to

put the action in.

-No more racist...

-Police.

-My purpose is the future,

making sure that our children

and their children

and their children never

have to keep going through

these generational curses.

You want to break those chains.

So I thank you

for coming to hear me.

-Words cannot do justice

to the grief we felt this year.

At every level

of human connection,

from across the world

to across the table,

we experienced profound loss.

We said goodbye to husbands,

daughters, wives,

sons, grandparents, friends,

and national heroes.

And we continue

to count the lives

surrendered

to this cruel pandemic,

which has claimed well over

a million souls worldwide.

Tonight, we mourn

the people we all knew

and the many we never will.

May our collective grief

unite us on the path forward.

Joining us now, Yo-Yo Ma,

accompanied by Kathryn Stott.

[ "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

plays ]

♪♪♪

-Everything's a Game 7 when

you approach every practice

and every game

with that kind of mentality.

You know, it bleeds into

the rest of the guys.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

-I want everyone

to see me alone.

I want them to hear me live.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

-They watch it, they say,

because it makes them

feel better,

and it can't get better

than that.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

-Sometimes you need to feel

the pain and sting of defeat

to activate the real passion

inside of you.

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪♪♪

-And thank you for tuning us in.

I know you enjoyed it.

Let's do it again tomorrow.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

-I got in trouble.

It was good trouble.

It was necessary trouble.

♪♪♪

-Think about how you would like

the world to be

for your daughters

and granddaughters.

-We deserve to live

in a multiracial democracy

that works for all of us.

So this is not in vain.

Keep on.

-We'll forever mourn the passing

of over a million and a half

souls...

...and a world changed forever.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

-Welcome back to

"Time Person of the Year."

Up next, an exclusive

performance from BTS.

But first, a look back

on the year that was.

-In a year defined

by lives cut short...

...we've too often lost sight

of the joy still among us

and the millions

of journeys just beginning.

So, good morning,

sweet child-to-be.

You are being born

at a very challenging time.

2020 has not been a kind year.

It's been a year that preyed

on the weak and the sick,

a year that claimed lives

and tested trust.

As you arrive, you'll see

the world is suffering,

but it is also the beginning

of a new day.

It may be easy to think

you were born into a year

filled only with division,

that you arrived in a moment

shrouded in chaos.

[ Bang ]

But if you look closely,

you'll see that you're living

in a world

filled with courage, compassion,

and heart.

-Pandemics occur.

They have always occurred

and they will occur.

And it would be really shameful

if we don't learn

from what we've been through.

-In this time of peril,

you will learn

one of the great truths

of the human family --

that we know how to put others

before ourselves.

This is a world of resilience,

a world propelled by the belief

that overcoming the impossible

is, in fact, possible.

With the inspiration

of innovation,

we were once again reminded

that nothing is out of reach

and that we should shoot

for the stars.

Faced with an invisible enemy

the world hasn't known

for generations,

we witness every day

the true meaning

of what it is to be a hero.

This is a moment not to hide

from our challenges,

but to confront them

with the strength and clarity

needed to find

a better tomorrow.

-Let's stop thinking that

our voice don't matter and vote!

-V-O-T-E!

-Take heart that the world

you have entered

is far from perfect,

but it is better

and more just than the ones

that came before it.

You can be who you are

and be loved as you are.

We imagine a tomorrow

filled with unity, not division,

a tomorrow that delivers

equality long overdue,

a tomorrow galvanized to tackle

the world's great challenges.

Heroes have walked among us,

and they will again.

-While I may be the first woman

in this office,

I will not be the last.

[ Cheers and applause ]

-So welcome, child.

You will need your rest, because

a new beginning is upon us

and it is yours to shape.

-We're up.

This is it.

I'm here tonight to announce

the 2020

Entertainer of the Year,

which means

it's probably not me.

Damn, what a way to find out.

Anyway, in this isolating year,

we needed entertainers

more than ever.

They didn't just help us

stave off boredom,

they kept us connected

and reminded us

that we weren't going through

these challenges alone.

And in 2020, nobody brought us

together like these guys.

They're without a doubt

the biggest act on the planet.

They released a huge album,

put on record-breaking

virtual concerts,

dropped a historic single.

People all over the world

gravitated towards their music

and their message,

because both are just exploding

with positivity and joy.

Their army of fans

pay that goodwill forward.

In June, when the group

contributed a million dollars

to Black Lives Matter,

their fans quickly organized

to match that donation.

That's next-level standom.

As a proud member

of this global fanbase,

trust me,

if you're not a fan now,

you will be in a few minutes.

The Time Entertainers

of the Year, BTS.

-We love you, too...

-John Cena!

-I guess 2020, of course,

we had the best news

and the worst news.

The worst news is the pandemic

and the tour cancelation.

But the best news was was we had

the number one on Billboard.

-We grow up, teamwork.

-Yep, and we grew up.

Our teamwork has grown up.

But now we can talk about

what music means to us,

but we'd rather show you.

Here's an exclusive

performance of...

-"Dynamite."

-Boom!

-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm

in the stars tonight ♪

♪ So watch me bring the fire

and set the night alight ♪

♪ Shoes on,

get up in the morn' ♪

♪ Cup of milk,

let's rock and roll ♪

-Uh-huh.

-♪ King Kong, kick the drum ♪

♪ Rolling on

like a Rolling Stone ♪

♪ Sing song

when I'm walkin' home ♪

♪ Jump up to the top, LeBron ♪

-Hey.

-♪ Ding-dong,

call me on my phone ♪

♪ Iced tea

and a game of Ping-Pong ♪

-♪ This is gettin' heavy,

can you hear the bass boom?

♪ I'm ready ♪

-♪ Whoo-hoo ♪

-♪ Life is sweet as honey ♪

♪ Yeah, this beat cha-ching

like money, hey ♪

-♪ Disco overload ♪

♪ I'm into that,

I'm good to go ♪

♪ I'm diamond,

you know I glow up ♪

-♪ Hey, so let's go, hey ♪

-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm

in the stars tonight ♪

♪ So watch me bring the fire

and set the night alight ♪

-♪ Hey ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

-♪ Bring a friend,

join the crowd ♪

♪ Whoever wanna come along ♪

♪ Word up, talk the talk ♪

♪ Just move

like we off the wall ♪

♪ Day or night,

the sky's alight ♪

♪ So we dance

to the break of dawn ♪

-♪ Ladies and gentlemen,

I got the medicine ♪

♪ So you should keep your eyes

on the ball ♪

-♪ This is gettin' heavy,

can you hear the bass boom? ♪

♪ I'm ready ♪

-♪ Whoo-hoo ♪

-♪ Life is sweet as honey ♪

♪ Yeah, this beat cha-ching

like money, huh ♪

-♪ Disco overload ♪

♪ I'm into that,

I'm good to go ♪

♪ I'm diamond,

you know I glow up ♪

-♪ Let's go, hey ♪

-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm

in the stars tonight ♪

♪ So watch me bring the fire

and set the night alight ♪

-♪ Hey ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪

♪ Life is dynamite ♪

♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪

♪ Life is dynamite ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

♪ Light it up, dynamite ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na, na-na, ayy ♪

♪ Light it up, dynamite ♪

-♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm

in the stars tonight ♪

♪ So watch me bring the fire

and set the night alight ♪

-♪ Let's go ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ This is ♪

♪ 'Cause I-I-I'm

in the stars tonight ♪

♪ So watch me bring the fire

and set the night alight ♪

-♪ Alight, oh ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na

♪ Life is dynamite ♪

-♪ Dyn-na-na-na,

na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na ♪

♪ Life is dynamite ♪

-♪ Shinin' through the city

with a little funk and soul ♪

♪ So I'mma light it up

like dynamite ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

-Dynamite.

-Coming up, H.E.R. honors

heroes of 2020

with a special performance,

and Bruce Springsteen delivers

the headline of the night --

Time's Person of the Year.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

.

-Time Heroes of the Year,

made possible by State Farm.

-In a trying year,

we needed heroes more than ever

to protect us...

-We do what we do because

we love our community.

-...to shelter us...

-Opening a door

for someone is humanity.

-...to nourish us.

-I need to just focus on people

that really need food.

-There's no way I can stop.

Some of them have become

really special to me.

-Tonight, we recognize

the heroes who rose above.

Here now with a musical tribute

to our Heroes of the Year,

H.E.R.

[ "Sometimes" plays ]

♪♪♪

-♪ Sometimes

it don't go your way ♪

♪ Sometimes you gotta ♪

♪ Sometimes ♪

♪ I had a plan,

I had it mapped out ♪

♪ Oh, I knew where I was going

when I left out ♪

♪ You couldn't tell me that

I wouldn't be there on time ♪

♪ 'Cause I had some guarantees,

I had a deadline ♪

♪ But now I know things change

for better or worse ♪

♪ You could say

that I'm the same ♪

♪ But I ain't adjusted

to all the hurt ♪

♪ So many noes, so many yeses ♪

♪ No one to blame,

don't got the answers ♪

♪ I felt the pain,

I can attest it ♪

♪ That's just the game,

and I respect it, yeah ♪

♪ 'Cause sometimes

it don't go your way ♪

♪ Sometimes ♪

♪ And sometimes you gon'

have those days, yeah ♪

♪ And sometimes

you'll feel out of place ♪

♪ You can't promise me

it'll be the same, no ♪

♪ 'Cause sometimes change ♪

-♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

-♪ 'Cause sometimes change ♪

♪♪♪

-If you have any doubt

about the global impact

of the Black Lives Matter

movement,

you need only look to France.

There, one woman's

tireless pursuit of justice

for her brother

has fueled an unprecedented

public reckoning

with racial injustice.

Our next Guardian of the year,

Assa Traoré.

-[ Speaking French ]

-Thousands marched

into a Paris suburb

to remember Adama Traoré,

who died at the hands

of French police four years ago.

-Coming up, the ultimate

recognition of influence --

the Time Person of the Year.

.

-In business, we're always

chasing the next big disruption,

but this year, it came to us.

The past 12 months

have altered the landscape

in dramatic

and challenging ways,

yet as often occurs

during a crisis,

new technologies emerge

not simply to meet the moment,

but to dictate the future.

Zoom is, without a doubt, that

kind of transformational force.

It has not only reinvented

the modern workplace,

but reshaped how we communicate

in all spheres of life.

Here's Stephanie Ruhle

to lead a special Zoom chat

with the Time Business Person

of the Year, Eric Yuan.

-Eric, the year 2020 has turned

Zoom into a global phenomenon.

Take us inside the last year

for your life.

-As a pastor,

to be able to use Zoom

allows us to still

have service together.

-I had students that were almost

in depressive states,

and they have all said, "I don't

know what I would have done

without this type of connection

when we shut down."

-I've been able to continue

to work on a regular basis.

-We got married on Zoom.

-This provided pregnant women

a very safe way

to get the care that they need

throughout their pregnancy.

Never did I think

that I would have the ability

to work from home

until a pandemic hit.

-Eric, was it hard for you

to get to a place

where you felt like doctors

could see patients securely

using the platform?

As a tech entrepreneur,

do you believe

you have a larger responsibility

to do something better,

greater for society?

Thank you so much for joining

me, and congratulations.

What a year you've had.

-We go down on Zoom

to talk with friends.

-Felt like a lifeline.

-Birthday parties.

-My Bar Mitzvah.

-Opening different worlds.

-Whole new world.

-Very thankful.

-Thank you, Zoom.

-Thank you.

-Gracias, Zoom!

-The next Guardian has led

America's

infectious disease response

for more than three decades,

on both sides of the aisle.

This year, he faced perhaps

his greatest challenge yet,

but he responded

as he always has --

with a clear,

unwavering commitment

to the scientific truth.

The next Guardian of the Year,

Dr. Anthony Fauci.

-Fire Fauci!

Fire Fauci!

-When you get something

as emotionally charged

as a major public health event,

the people who are looking

for somebody to get angry with

make me the symbol

and they hate me.

Do they hate Tony Fauci?

They don't even know

who Tony Fauci is.

-The nation's top doctor.

-Top expert.

-Dr. Anthony Fauci.

-I became very interested

in infectious diseases

because you can prevent them

and you can treat them.

And I was fascinated by science,

that you could discover

unknown things.

Everything I do now

I'm intensively interested in

and I'm really good at it.

We're dealing with clearly

an emerging infectious disease.

-Fueling fears of a pandemic.

-She is COVID positive.

-I'm declaring

a public health emergency.

-We turn to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

-Is the worst yet to come,

Dr. Fauci?

-Yes, things will get worse.

When you get something

like COVID-19,

it has the potential

of running wild.

-Surpassing 1 million deaths.

-That's the chilling aspect

of an evolving outbreak.

Every day we learn...

The actual virological aspect

is unprecedented,

but the impact on society

is unprecedented.

-Enormous economic,

psychological implications.

-It would,

but it would be temporary.

Things change

and evolve rapidly.

And you can't get frozen

in a state of saying,

"I think I know

everything about this,"

because you're gonna

get surprised for sure.

-No more masks!

No more masks!

-Now instead of worrying solely

about developing vaccines,

Dr. Fauci finds himself forced

to defend science itself.

-The one thing

you don't want to do is guess.

The world is craving clarity,

honesty,

courage to stick up

for what's right.

I served six presidents,

and I have never...

You want to base what you say

on scientific data.

Public health knows no politics.

You're just driven by the truth.

♪♪♪

-When we return, a moment

365 days in the making --

Bruce Springsteen announces

Time's Person of the Year.

.

-Good evening.

The events of 2020

have changed us

in ways that were unthinkable

until this year.

A once-in-a-generation health

crisis has rocked our lives

while also demonstrating the

resilience of the human spirit.

A rallying cry for justice

and equality

has rung out around the world.

And across the nation,

a record number of Americans

made their voice heard,

making history along the way.

For nearly 100 years,

Time has named

the Person of the Year.

In 2020, the

Time Person of the Year is...

President-elect Joe Biden

and Vice President-elect

Kamala Harris.

-Time has always had a special

connection to the presidency.

Every elected president

since FDR

has been Person of the Year

at some point during their term.

This is the first time we've

also named a vice president

as Person of the Year.

The Biden-Harris ticket

represents something historic.

-Thank you for the honor.

-Thank you very much. Thank you.

-Person of the Year is not

just about the year that was,

but about where we're headed.

And the next four years

are going to be

an enormous test of them

and all of us to see

whether they can bring about

the unity they've promised.

Do you think this is a do-or-die

moment for democracy?

-This moment was

one of those do-or-die moments.

Had Trump won, I think we would

have changed the nature

of who we are as a country

for a long time.

♪♪♪

-You have always been

so action-oriented.

-Yeah.

-So, what is the first thing

that you want to do

in that role?

-We're at a moment

where we're being confronted

by many crises

that have converged.

We're talking about

a public-health crisis.

We are in the midst

of an economic crisis,

a long overdue reckoning

on racial injustice,

and a climate crisis.

We got a lot of things

that we need to handle,

and we multitask

to address them all.

-Biden was running on a message

of unity and healing

at a moment when the country

was sicker and more divided

than almost any time

in American history.

-Four more years!

Four more years!

-This obviously was

an election like no other,

a campaign like no other.

-The question is --

-...new Supreme Court Justice.

-The question --

-Radical left.

-Will you shut up, man?

-Who is your -- Listen.

-The country's in deep trouble,

and Donald Trump

was just a symptom

to reveal how deep

the trouble actually is.

-You will not replace us!

You will not replace us!

-Joe Biden saw what happened

in Charlottesville

as a symptom

of a deeper American disease

that only he could fix.

-I am convinced

that the American public

is looking for the possibilities

that are available out there.

They know we're so much better

than this.

When I ran, I said, this is

about who we are as a nation,

who we're going to be,

what we want to be.

The American people stepped up.

[ Crowd cheering ]

-It starts at the top,

and if you see a divisive

leader, it trickles down.

-The worst job of any governor.

Fake news media.

-The words

of a president matter.

Whether they're good presidents

or bad, they matter.

When I first announced

my candidacy,

what I got most criticized for

was I said

we had to unite America,

that we weren't going to respond

to hate with hate,

had to restore

the soul of the country.

And I never came off

that message

because that's my objective.

-The promise

of a Biden candidacy

was always

about turning the clock back

to a sort of gentler,

more civil, more decent time

in American politics.

But the divisions don't end

when the election does.

[ Cheers and applause ]

-What a testament it is

to Joe's character

that he had the audacity

to break one

of the most substantial barriers

that exists in our country

and select a woman

as his vice president.

[ Cheers and applause ]

-Kamala takes us

to that next chapter

from the moment

she walked across that stage --

she is someone that

we've never seen before

in one of the top two jobs

in the country.

-I get frustrated

'cause dozens of nations

have had women

in their highest offices --

we have not.

And I'm proud

that he made it plain early

that, "I'm going to choose a

woman to be my vice president."

And in that boom, he's now

changed American history.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

-And I looked for someone who,

if, in fact,

something happened to me,

I knew they could take over,

and that's Kamala.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Look,

she is straight as an arrow.

She is really, really bright.

She is tough, but yet she has

a heart that understands

what it's like to be

on the other side of prejudice.

-This is a moment in time

that is requiring us to fight.

Joe understands that we have

different life experiences,

but we also have an incredible

amount of shared values --

we both have spent our entire

careers in public service.

And I think that's

what makes ours

a full and very robust

partnership.

♪♪♪

-Some of the criticisms of him

were of whether

the black community

could trust him

to look after their interests,

and so putting the first

African-American woman

on a presidential ticket

was a way of repairing

that breach, in some ways.

-We want

to see it for what it is,

because Kamala Harris --

it's important that she's there,

but we need to see policies.

We need to understand

the limitations

of a certain kind of

representational politics.

They're going to have to address

the fundamental inequality

at the heart of the country.

And then they're going to

have to figure out

how to finally rid us

of this belief

that white people matter

more than others.

-What do you say

to black Americans, immigrants,

others who feel victimized

by the Trump administration

and have no interest in uniting

with Trump supporters?

-When George Floyd occurred,

I was cautioned

by some really smart people,

you know,

"Don't go out and talk about

racial inequity,

systematic racism.

Don't mention it because

you can lose the suburbs."

My argument all along was

the American people

do want to see justice,

and they understood things

were out of whack

and they had to change them.

-...united,

we'll never be divided!

-This was a pandemic election,

and we have to realize

that we got victory here

because the most oppressed

and suppressed voters

fought like hell

to make it happen.

-Part of what I think settles

some of these questions

is to work your behinds off

for a more just America.

-I don't think there's ever been

a president and vice president

to take office in a moment

like this

where we don't

just disagree on issues --

we disagree on basic facts.

What happens

to the American experiment

in this kind of chaos?

-None of us should be waiting

on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

to fix everything.

We are the people

for this moment.

-The goal

is a more just America,

and people

cannot only dream dreams,

but can make those dreams

a reality.

-You know,

my mother had many sayings,

but one of them was,

"While you may be

the first to do many things,

make sure you're not the last."

That's about legacy.

That's about creating a pathway.

That's about leaving

the door more open

than it was when you walked in.

-I think this is

an opportunity to establish

that out of our diversity comes

enormous, enormous strength.

We're seeing

all over this nation,

all cities

and all parts of the country --

indeed, across the world --

an outpouring of joy, of hope,

renewed faith

in tomorrow --

bring a better day.

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪♪♪