Trump Jr. blasts Time for choosing ‘marketing gimmick’ Greta Thunberg as Person of the Year

The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., attacked Time magazine on Wednesday over its choice of climate change activist Greta Thunberg as its 2019 “Person of the Year.”

In a tweet, Trump Jr. mocked the 16-year-old activist as “a teen being used as a marketing gimmick,” saying pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong deserved the honor.

Time magazine representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on Trump Jr.’s remarks.

Thunberg gained international fame following her protests against climate change inaction, which began with a one-person school strike in her home country of Sweden that inspired school strikes and marches around the world.

Time’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, described Thunberg as the “biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet” in announcing her as Person of the Year on Wednesday morning.

“She also represents a broader generational shift in the culture that we’re seeing from the campuses of Hong Kong to the protests in Chile to Parkland, Fla., where the students marched against gun violence ,where young people are demanding change urgently,” he said.

Hong Kong has been rocked by pro-democracy protests for months in response to a now-shelved bill to allow the extradition of Hong Kong citizens to the Chinese mainland. Protesters have since demanded further concessions from the government, including the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.