Luís Montenegro and Donald Trump were chosen by journalists from Agência Lusa as Personalities of the Year
The Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, who brought the PSD to power after 9 years in opposition, and the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who returns to the White House four years and several legal proceedings later, are the figures chosen by the Lusa as Personality of the Year.
The president of the PSD, Luis Montenegrowas elected national personality of 2024 by journalists from the Lusa agency.
Montenegro led the PSD back to power, after nine years of oppositionand in the first eight months of government he managed to make approve a Budget of the State with which it should avoid new legislation until 2026.
The former parliamentary leader became the leader of the PSD on the second attempt – I had tried and lost in 2020 against Rui Rio – in May 2023, defeating Jorge Moreira da Silva by more than 70% of the votes.
to unexpected d Antonio Costain November 2023 following a court case in which his name was involved, led Montenegro to contest legislative two years earlier than expectedand at a time when some were already admitting his replacement after the Europeans in June by Pedro Passos Coelho.
In the March 10 elections, Montenegro reissues the Democratic Alliance 1979 with the CDS-PP and the PPM, achieving one over the PS.
In an election in which Chega elected 50 deputiesthe PSD leader maintained the “no is no” to the party led by André Ventura, with whom understanding soon failed to approve the President of the Assembly of the Republic.
Hugo Delgado / Lusa
The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro
It was a agreement with the Socialist Party which allowed the election of the Social Democrat José Pedro Aguiar-Branco for half a legislature and, in the OE for 2025, after initial conversations with all parties (some even discreet with Chega and IL), it ended up being with the socialists that the negotiations went furthest.
Although there was no total agreement in the meetings between Luís Montenegro and Pedro Nuno Santos, the PS ended up , citing the short time spent on the elections and the unlikelihood of a new vote resulting in clarification.
With this approval, the PSD/CDS-PP minority government gained momentum of more than a year: even if the next budget proposal is rejected, the current President of the Republic will be prevented from dissolving parliament and calling elections in the last six months of his term (from September 9th).
Only the new head of statewho will take office in March 2026, will be able to do so, which pushes any anticipated legislation to no earlier than May/June.
In the eight months of governance, the main problems were recorded in Internal Administration, with those in the North and Center regions of Portugal resulting in the death of nine peopleand in Health, with investigations still ongoing into those allegedly associated with failures in service provided by the National Institute of Medical Emergency during a strike.
Also still under investigation is , a 43-year-old Cape Verdean citizen shot by a PSP agent in the early hours of October 21 in the neighborhood of Cova da Moura, which generated a wave of disturbances in Greater Lisbon.
Montenegro has maintained political trust in ministers Ana Paula Martins and Margarida Blasco and, despite promising to resolve political responsibilities, has already argued that such It doesn’t always have to mean layoffs.
The Prime Minister has managed to prevent information leaks at crucial moments, gave just one interview to the media, favoring formal interventions, in which he highlights sectoral areas, such as security, with a press conference at 8pm at the official residence, which earned him unanimous criticism from the opposition.
No critical voices disrupting your leadership in the PSD – even after losing the European ones -, Montenegro will have to face the challenge of municipal elections next year, which has already assumed that he wants to winand, shortly afterwards, the presidential elections, where he committed to supporting the candidacy of a PSD activist.
Away from Passos CoelhoMontenegro points to Cavaco Silva as a “major political reference” and believes that this minority government could be the beginning of the PSD’s return to years in power.
Trump: divisive as always, even more controversial
The President-elect of the USA, Donald Trumpreturns to the White House in January with the same politically divisive characteristics and an even more controversial program, after having refined his techniques of fiery rhetoric.
Chosen international personality of the year by Lusa journalists, Trump, former 45. President of the United States and about to become the 47thhas always cultivated his image, which has only amplified the controversy, celebrity and political turmoil with which he is associated.
Trump’s return to the White House has amplified his usual tendency to generate contradictory opinions: His critics view him as a divisive figure, while his supporters praise his uncompromising stance on national issues and his ability to confront the political establishment.
Born on June 14, 1946, in the Queens neighborhood of New York, Trump was the Fred Trump’s fourth childa successful real estate entrepreneur.
Despite growing up in a wealthy family, his youth was not made easy for hima: was sent to the New York Military Academy at age 13, after starting to show rebellious behavior at schoolbut ended up taking control of the family’s real estate company in 1971, renaming it the Trump Organization.
Alongside this business career, Trump was soon attracted to the world of ‘media’ and sought to become a regular presence in the tabloids and on television, where he gained greater fame as host of the program The Apprentice.
Yours controversial comments — like referring to Mexican immigrants as “rapists” — and promise to build a wall on the southern border — generated both strong criticism and broad support, especially among voters who felt marginalized by mainstream politicians.
David Maxwell / EPA
Trump stands up after attack
Despite being a political ‘outsider’without any government experience, in 2016 Trump easily defeated a vast field of Republican candidates to secure the party’s nomination, eventually winning the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
The first term was marked by divisive decisions and actionsboth domestically and internationally, with significant tax cuts, US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and tariffs on Chinese products, starting a trade war with China.
One of the most significant and controversial moments of Trump’s presidency was on January 6, 2021, when, after losing the 2020 elections to Joe Biden, continued to allege electoral fraud.
Despite the controversy surrounding his presidency and his defeat in the 2020 elections, Trump maintained a base of loyal supporters and a great influence on the Republican Party, which catapulted him to a victory this year over the current Democratic vice president, Kamala Harris.
Trump’s return to power remains marked by multiple legal challengesincluding his involvement in , but his political popularity remained strong, particularly in key states like Pennsylvania and Georgia.
His candidacy had as its main pillars the end of the war in Ukrainethe hardening of immigration policies and the reestablishment of US economic supremacy with protectionist policies.
After an election campaign marked by a , Trump promises a second term even more controversial than the first and with an administration full of fIgures handpicked for their loyalty to “make America great again.”
