Trump Says He Passed On Being 'Person Of The Year.' 'Time' Says He's 'Incorrect' 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images 
 
 President Trump took to Twitter Friday afternoon to say he passed on possibly being Time's Person of the Year because he didn't want to agree to an interview and photo shoot. 
 
 The magazine tweeted a few hours later that that wasn't the case: 
 
 Trump was named Time's Person of the Year last year, which he called a "tremendous honor" at the time. 
 
 The yearly title isn't necessarily a mark of praise but rather an acknowledgment of influence. "[T]he person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse," a former managing editor of the magazine wrote. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin have both been featured in the role. 
 
 The magazine started naming a "Man of the Year" during a slow news week in 1928, it says. The title became "Person of the Year" in 1999, though socialite Wallis Simpson was a "Woman of the Year" in 1937. 
 
 In June, The Washington Post noted that fake covers of Time magazine featuring Trump hang in at least four of his golf clubs. 
 
 The Person of the Year will be announced Dec. 6. ||||| A U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols as part of security measures for President Donald Trump's stay at at his private club Mar-a-Lago, Friday, Nov. 24, 2017, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Associated Press) 
 
 A U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols as part of security measures for President Donald Trump's stay at at his private club Mar-a-Lago, Friday, Nov. 24, 2017, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Associated Press) 
 
 PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): 
 
 6 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he turned down an interview and photo shoot for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" issue. 
 
 In a Friday evening 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: "I said probably is no good and took a pass." 
 
 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. 
 
 A spokesperson for Time did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. 
 
 The magazine will unveil its Person of the Year on Dec. 6. 
 
 ___ 
 
 5 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is offering his condolences to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi following "the heinous attack on worshippers in Egypt's North Sinai province" Friday. 
 
 Trump spoke with el-Sissi by phone from his club in Palm Beach, Florida. 
 
 The White House says that Trump condemned the attack in the call "and reiterated that the United States will continue to stand with Egypt in the face of terrorism." 
 
 The White House adds that the "international community cannot tolerate barbaric terrorist groups and must strengthen its efforts to defeat terrorism and extremism in all its forms." 
 
 Trump earlier on Twitter had used the attack as an opportunity to reaffirm his support for a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and to restrict people from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:25 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is denouncing the deadly mosque attack in Egypt and asserting that the world must crush terrorists by military means. He's also pushing his travel ban, which is tied up in courts. 
 
 At least 235 people were killed when Islamic militants attacked a crowded mosque during prayers in the Sinai Peninsula. 
 
 Trump tweeted: "Need the WALL, need the BAN!" He added: "God bless the people of Egypt." 
 
 At his Florida resort for a long Thanksgiving weekend, Trump spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about bringing peace to the Middle East. 
 
 A Turkish official says Trump agreed the U.S. would no longer arm Syrian Kurdish fighters — a claim not verified by the White House. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he will be calling his Egyptian counterpart "in a short while" to discuss Friday's "tragic terrorist attack, with so much loss of life." 
 
 At least 235 people were killed Friday when militants attacked a crowded mosque during prayers in the Sinai Peninsula, setting off explosives and spraying worshippers with gunfire. 
 
 Trump says in a tweet after departing one of his golf clubs in Florida that, "We have to get TOUGHER AND SMARTER than ever before, and we will." 
 
 He adds: "Need the WALL, need the BAN! God bless the people of Egypt." 
 
 Trump appears to be referring to his promises to build a border wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico and his efforts to bar people from certain Muslim-majority countries from coming to the U.S. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:10 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is denouncing what he's calling the "Horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenseless worshipers (sic) in Egypt." 
 
 Militants attacked a crowded mosque during Friday prayers in the Sinai Peninsula, settling off explosives, spraying worshippers with gunfire and killing at least 200 people in the deadliest ever attack on Egyptian civilians by Islamic extremists. 
 
 Trump says on Twitter, "The world cannot tolerate terrorism" and that "we must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence!" 
 
 Trump's tweet came as he was playing golf at one of his Florida courses with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:30 a.m. 
 
 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says U.S. President Donald Trump has told his Turkish counterpart that the United States will no longer supply arms to Syrian Kurdish fighters. 
 
 Cavusoglu said Trump relayed his decision during a telephone conversation between the Turkish and U.S. leaders on Friday. Cavusoglu was present in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office during the telephone call. 
 
 Turkey considers the Kurdish Syrian fighters, known by the initials YPG, to be terrorists because of their affiliation to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey. A U.S. decision to arm the fighters soured relations between the two NATO allies. 
 
 Cavusoglu said: "Mr. Trump clearly stated that he had given clear instructions and that the YPG won't be given arms and that this nonsense should have ended a long time ago." 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:40 a.m. 
 
 Turkey's president says he discussed the Syrian crisis and other regional issues with in a phone call Friday with President Donald Trump. 
 
 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said the two leaders also discussed ties between Turkey and the United States during their telephone conversation on Friday. 
 
 Their discussion comes days after Erdogan attended a trilateral meeting with the Russian and Iranian leaders in Sochi, Russia, to promote a peaceful settlement in Syria. 
 
 Relations between NATO allies Turkey and the United States have soured over a number of issues, including U.S. support to Syrian Kurdish fighters which Ankara considers to be terrorists because of their links to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey. 
 
 Earlier, Trump tweeted that he'd be speaking with Erdogan "about bringing peace to the mess that I inherited in the Middle East." 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:30 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he'll be speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday "about bringing peace to the mess that I inherited in the Middle East." 
 
 Trump railed during his campaign about the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, but has boasted about progress in recent months under his watch. 
 
 Trump says in a tweet that he'll "get it all done, but what a mistake, in lives and dollars to be there in the first place!" 
 
 It's unclear exactly which countries he's referring to, but Trump has cited $6 trillion in the past to assess U.S. spending on conflicts in the Middle East. 
 
 Fact checkers have found that number to be only partially accurate since it falls on the high end of analysts' estimates and includes future medical care and disability benefits and nation-building costs. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:17 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump will be playing golf with Tiger Woods at Trump's course in Jupiter, Florida, Friday. 
 
 Trump says in a tweet that top-rated golfer Dustin Johnson also will take part. 
 
 Woods' 79 PGA Tour victories and 14 major titles both rank No. 2 all-time. He has not competed professionally since February because of a back injury and is not expected to return this year. His last win was in August 2013 
 
 Trump says after golf, he'll return to his private Mar-a-Lago club "for talks on bringing even more jobs and companies back to the USA!" 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:50 a.m. 
 
 He's not letting it go. 
 
 President Donald Trump is continuing to rail against football players who kneel during the National Anthem to protest racism and police brutality. 
 
 Trump asks his followers in a Black Friday tweet: "Can you believe that the disrespect for our Country, our Flag, our Anthem continues without penalty to the players." 
 
 He's accusing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell of having "lost control" of what he called a "hemorrhaging league" where "Players are the boss!" 
 
 Trump's tweet was in response to one from his social media chief, Dan Scavino. 
 
 Scavino had shared a Breitbart News story about New York Giants player Olivier Vernon taking the knee during the anthem on Thanksgiving ahead of a game against the Redskins. 
 
 The website is run by Trump's former chief strategist. ||||| FILE - In this Dec. 2, 2014, file photo, Mika Brzezinski arrives at the Ninth Annual Women of Worth Awards in New York. President Donald Trump has used a series of tweets to go after Mika Brzezinski... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump launched a crude Twitter attack on the brains, looks and temperament of a female TV personality Thursday, drawing bipartisan howls of outrage and leaving fellow Republicans beseeching him: Stop, please just stop. 
 
 Trump's tweets aimed at MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski revived concerns about his views of women in a city where civility already is in short supply and he is struggling for any support he can get for his proposals on health care, immigration and other controversial issues. 
 
 "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore)," Trump tweeted to his nearly 33 million followers Thursday morning. "Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" 
 
 The tweets served to unite Democrats and Republicans for once in a chorus of protest that amounted to perhaps the loudest outcry since Trump took office. 
 
 "Obviously I don't see that as an appropriate comment," said Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called Trump's tweets, "blatantly sexist." The president, she added, "happens to disrespect women ... it's sad." 
 
 Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma even linked the president's harsh words to the June 14 shootings of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and three others. 
 
 "The president's tweets today don't help our political or national discourse and do not provide a positive role model for our national dialogue," Lankford said, noting that he had just chaired a hearing on the shootings. 
 
 On Trump's level of insult-trading, Brzezinski responded on Twitter by posting a photograph of a Cheerios box that included the phrase "made for little hands." People looking to get under the president's skin have long suggested that his hands appear small for his frame. 
 
 Trump's allies cast his outburst as positive, an example of his refusal to be bullied. 
 
 White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president was "pushing back against people who have attacked him day after day after day. Where is the outrage on that?" 
 
 "The American people elected a fighter; they didn't elect somebody to sit back and do nothing," she added. 
 
 First lady Melania Trump, who has vowed to fight cyberbullying while her husband is president, gave his tweets a pass. 
 
 "As the first lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder," her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement. 
 
 As Trump welcomed South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a White House dinner Thursday evening, he did not respond to shouted questions from reporters about whether he regretted the tweet. 
 
 Some of the administration's most high-profile women — daughter and presidential assistant Ivanka Trump, Counselor Kellyanne Conway and Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell — did not respond to requests for comment. 
 
 The White House has shown increasing irritation over harsh coverage of the president on Brzezinski and Scarborough's "Morning Joe," including commentary questioning Trump's mental state. 
 
 About two hours before his tweets, Brzezinski said on the show that "it's not normal behavior" for any leader to be tweeting about people's appearances or to be bullying, lying, undermining managers and throwing people under the bus. She said that if any business executive behaved the way Trump does, "there would be concern that perhaps the person who runs the company is out of his mind." 
 
 On Wednesday, she had mocked Trump after a story in The Washington Post said he had posted fake Time magazine covers of himself in some of his golf resorts. 
 
 "Nothing makes a man feel better than making a fake cover of a magazine about himself, lying every day and destroying the country," Brzezinski said. 
 
 Trump, who has a habit of throwing up distractions to deflect bad news, has been straining to advance his agenda lately, with the Senate this week coming up short in finding enough votes to begin debate on a bill to roll back President Barack Obama's health care law. 
 
 His demeaning broadside against a woman raised new complaints among critics who have long accused him of sexism and inflaming tensions in a deeply polarized nation. Trump also has consistently stoked a long-running feud with the press that has not hurt him with his base of roughly a third of the electorate. 
 
 But one expert rejected the idea that Trump's tweets about the MSNBC hosts amounted to a calculated push-back against the media. 
 
 "It's not a critique of the press. It's a diatribe. It's a rant," said Theodore L. Glasser, professor emeritus at Stanford University and an expert in mass media. 
 
 It wasn't the first time Trump has assailed a television personality who is a woman. In 2015, he went after then-Fox News Channel host Megyn Kelly when she questioned him at a debate. Trump said later that during the exchange, Kelly had "blood coming out of her wherever." 
 
 It's also far from the only time he's raised eyebrows with remarks about the physical attributes of women. Just this week in the Oval Office, Trump interrupted his phone conversation with the new prime minister of Ireland to remark on a "beautiful" Irish journalist in the room and take note of the "nice smile on her face." 
 
 The latest flare-up did nothing to improve Trump's chances of advancing the health care bill that formed a centerpiece of his campaign. 
 
 "This has to stop - we all have a job - 3 branches of gov't and media," tweeted Republican Susan Collins of Maine, a critic of the Senate GOP bill. "We don't have to get along, but we must show respect and civility." 
 
 Tweeted Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a frequent Trump critic: "Please just stop. This isn't normal and it's beneath the dignity of your office." Agreed South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham: "Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America." 
 
 Brzezinski and Scarborough, who are engaged, have known Trump for years and interviewed him numerous times during the campaign. But they have been highly critical of Trump since he took office. 
 
 They did meet with Trump at his Florida estate on New Year's Eve for what they described as a brief visit, and also spent time with the president and senior staff at the White House in February. But Brzezinski supporters disputed Trump's characterization of the Mar-a-Lago meeting, saying it was the president who repeatedly asked the couple to visit him. Brzezinski and Scarborough were staying in the area for the holidays. 
 
 NBC News spokeswoman Lorie Acio said in a statement, "It's a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace and Erica Werner contributed from Washington; Television Writer David Bauder contributed from New York. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Kellman and Lemire at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman and http://www.twitter.com/JonLemire
– President Trump says he turned down an interview and photo shoot for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" issue, the AP reports. In a Friday evening tweet, Trump says the magazine informed him he was "probably" going to be granted the title for the second year in a row but that it would require "an interview and a major photo shoot." He tweets: "I said probably is no good and took a pass." The magazine, however, is now disputing Trump's version of events. "The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year," said a magazine tweet. Time "does not comment on our choice until publication." As NPR notes, the selection isn't necessarily a positive honor; rather, it's more a reflection of a person's influence. Trump seems to revel in the magazine's recognition: Earlier this year, it was revealed that several of his private golf clubs were displaying fake Time covers featuring his image. This year, the new Person of the Year will be announced on Dec. 6.