Donald Trump will hit the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell today, the same day he is expected to be named "Person of the Year" of "Time" magazine, two people familiar with the selection and plans told Reuters, BTA reported.
Speaker of "Time“ declined to comment on the selection.
The Republican president-elect made his fortune as a real estate investor in New York before turning to politics, Reuters recalls. During his first term as president, he measured his success in part by the strength of the stock market, which has so far cheered his re-election.
The privilege of ringing the bell, which marks the beginning or end of the trading day at the world's largest stock exchange, is considered an honor. Historically, this act has been reserved for company executives celebrating an initial public offering or other major corporate events, but celebrities and politicians such as Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela and Arnold Schwarzenegger have also done it.
"Politico" first reported the news of Trump's election and plans.
"Time" awarded the title "Person of the Year" of Trump in 2016
The magazine announced Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as "Person of the Year" in 2020 after they beat Trump.
Pop star Taylor Swift received the title last year.
Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month, CBS News reported, citing multiple sources, Reuters reported, cited by BTA.
The inauguration will take place on January 20, 2025. in the American capital.
According to CBS sources, Trump invited Xi Jinping in early November, shortly after the election, but it is not yet clear whether the latter accepted the invitation.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has not yet responded to TASS's request to confirm this information.
The US president-elect is considering appointing Richard Grenell, a former acting intelligence chief, as a special envoy for Iran, two people familiar with the transition plans said, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
"He's definitely in the game,” said one person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named.
So far, Trump has yet to formally announce any final decisions on either personnel or strategy regarding Iran, including whether he will impose new sanctions on the country, pursue diplomacy, or both, with the goal of halting Tehran's nuclear program .
Neither Trump's team nor Grenell responded to requests for comment, according to Reuters.
But considering a key ally for such a post sends a signal to the region that the new US president may be open to talks with a country he has previously threatened and whose elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to kill him, as claims the US government. Iran denies this claim.
Grenell is expected to be tasked with talking to countries in and outside the region on the Iran issue, as well as monitoring Tehran's willingness for possible negotiations, one of the sources said.
The president of Iran, Massoud Pezeshkian, who is considered a relatively moderate, according to Reuters. The agency recalls that after Trump's election, he said that Tehran should "deal with the US" and "to manage relations with his enemy".
Meanwhile, Trump said he would pick Carrie Lake, a former news anchor and hard-line Republican who failed to win last month's Arizona Senate race, as director of the US government-funded outlet, the Voice of America. America", reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Trump, in a post on his social network "Truth Social" , said Lake would "ensure that American values of freedom and liberties are broadcast around the world fairly and accurately, unlike the lies peddled by the fake news media."
Lake, a staunch Trump supporter who repeated his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election, also lost the gubernatorial race in the swing state of Arizona in 2022. She previously hosted Phoenix-based Fox TV 10.
"Voice of America" (VOA) is an international media operator operating in more than 40 languages online and on radio and television.
During his first term, Trump clashed with VOA and accused the outlet of amplifying Chinese propaganda after it aired a segment about a light show marking the reopening of Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus pandemic first emerged.