Donald Trump Jr. Sides Hong Kong Protesters, They Should Be Time 2019 Person Of The Year

Climate activist teenager Greta Thunberg, who burst onto the world's consciousness in August 2018, was selected TIME 2019 Person of the Year by the magazine's editors -- and Donald Trump Jr. isn't happy.

The climate skeptic son of president Donald Trump, himself a climate skeptic, felt Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters now on their ninth month of relentless street protests should have seen selected, instead. He tweeted in disgust:

"Time leaves out the Hong Kong Protesters fighting for their lives and freedoms to push a teen being used as a marketing gimmick. How dare you?"

The trouble is TIME has two Persons of the Year Award. One is voted on by the editors; the other by its readers. And the winner of the TIME 2019 Person of the Year Reader Poll? You guessed it -- the Hong Kong protestors.

TIME said more than 27 million votes were cast in this year’s reader's survey with the Hong Kong protestors getting 30 percent of the total vote. In second place with 4.5 percent of the reader vote were the climate strikers, and protesters around the world marching to urge leaders to implement more environmentally sustainable policies. Third in the race was popular actor Keanu Reeves.

TIME editors said they selected Thunberg, who at 16 years old is the youngest person conferred this honor, "partly in recognition of the growing influence of youth demonstrators around the world on a variety of issues."

Other contenders for the editors' pick for TIME Person of the Year were the Hong Kong protestors, president Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Anonymous Whistleblower that ignited the impeachment inquiry bedeviling the senior Trump.

Perhaps Don Jr. should have read the December issue of TIME before slamming the magazine. His sentiment, however, was shared by other right-wing climate skeptic groups such as The Federalist, which claimed Thunberg wasn’t worthy because she “sticks to challenges with less risk, like speaking to groups of people who entirely agree with her.”

Don Jr.'s dismissiveness of Thunberg also seems to have been influenced by his father signing into law in November a bill backing the Hong Kong protesters over China’s strong objections.

Trump Sr. isn't a fan of Thunberg either. In September, a distraught Thunberg delivered an emotional speech about the menacing climate disaster. The video went viral. Trump mocked her in a sarcastic tweet, saying she seemed “like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”

Thunberg got back at Trump by using his own words against him. She changed her Twitter bio to read: “A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”