Photo via Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of ten finalists for Time's 2022 Person of the Year.
Time magazine revealed the contenders for their 2022 Person of the Year on the Today Show Monday, and the list includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The list purports to be "who they felt had the most influence on the world this year," and DeSantis' inclusion is just the latest moment in the media's odd love affair with this man.
Lauded as "the GOP’s sharpest and most conspicuous weapon," DeSantis is joined on the shortlist by China's president Xi Jinping, Liz Cheney, gun safety advocates, protesters in Iran, Janet Yellen, the U.S. Supreme Court, MacKenzie Scott, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Elon Musk.
It's worth noting that the magazine's Person of the Year is not necessarily a love letter, which that list should make clear. In 1938, Time named Adolf Hitler Man of the Year; it's undeniable that he had the most influence on the world that year.
DeSantis garnered national (and Time's selection committee's) attention due to his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights in Florida schools and the accompanying Parental Rights Restoration (aka "Don't Say Gay") Act. This was a move so distasteful that even Walt Disney World had to step in and make a mildly critical statement. This led to the DeSantis vs. Mickey Mouse brawl that escalated into legislation to dissolve Disney's special district.
The Florida governor has also faced controversy for his redrawing of the Florida's congressional maps, creating a clear advantage for Republicans.
And then there's the time he and cohorts tricked migrants into traveling to Martha's Vineyard for the sake of "owning the libs" and fighting back against President Biden's border and immigration policies. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently filed a lawsuit against DeSantis for that stunt. The lawsuit claims that, under his watch, Florida is “infringing upon the federal government’s immigration system by creating a separate, parallel immigration system."
But hey, Person of the Year, right?
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