Trump Claims He Turned Down Time's 'Person of the Year' Honor

The magazine will unveil the honoree on Dec. 6.

President Donald Trump says he turned down an interview and photo shoot for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" issue.

In a Friday tweet, Trump says the magazine informed him he was "probably" going to be granted the title for the second year in a row. He tweets: "But I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!"

Later that evening, the magazine responded to Trump's claims with a tweet of their own, saying, "The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6."

The president last year was chosen as Time's Person of the Year, which he said was "a great honor. It means a lot."

Nancy Gibbs, the magazine's managing editor, told NBC's Today show that Hillary Clinton was the runner-up for the honor in 2016 and that the choice of Trump was simply "straightforward." She added that the magazine gives the title of "Person of the Year" to whomever has had the greatest influence on events that year "for better or worse."

The 2016 issue featured an image of Trump with the cover line, "Donald Trump: President of the Divided States of America."

Trump frequently brags about his cover appearances in the iconic magazine. He has falsely claimed to hold the record of cover appearances, and was revealed earlier this year to have displayed fake issues of Time at several of his private golf clubs.

The magazine will unveil its Person of the Year on Dec. 6.