President-elect Donald Trump has rung the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange after being recognised for the second time by Time magazine as its person of the year.

The honours for the businessman-turned-politician are a measure of Trump's remarkable comeback.

Before Trump rang the opening bell at 9.30am – a first for the native New Yorker – he spoke at the exchange and called it “a tremendous honour.”

“Time magazine, getting this honour for the second time, I think I like it better this time actually,” he said.

Trump, accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany and Vice President-elect JD Vance, grinned as people chanted “USA” before he opened the trading day. He then raised his fist.

In his remarks, he promoted some of the people he has named to his incoming administration, including Treasury pick Scott Bessent, and some of his policies, including a promise that the federal government will expedite permits for projects and construction worth more than $1 billion.

President-elect Donald Trump rings opening bell at NYSE. – AP

“I think we’re going to have a tremendous run. We have to straighten out some problems, some big problems in the world,” he said.

Sam Jacobs, the magazine's editor in chief, made the announcement, saying Trump was someone who “for better or for worse, had the most influence on the news in 2024”.

Trump was Time’s Person of the Year in 2016, when he was first elected to the White House.

“This is someone who made an historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who’s reordering American politics," Jacobs said.

In an interview with the magazine, Trump spoke about his final campaign blitz and election win.

“I called it ‘72 Days of Fury,’” Trump said. “We hit the nerve of the country. The country was angry.”

As Trump marked the ceremonial start of the day’s trading, the magazine cover featuring him was projected onto a wall at the NYSE.

He was flanked by family and members of his incoming administration while his favoured walk-on song, God Bless the USA, played. Afterward, he returned to his home in Florida.

Earlier this year, Trump sat for interviews with the magazine for a story that ran in April. Time’s billionaire owner, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, criticised Harris for not granting the magazine an interview during her campaign with Trump.

In his latest interview, Trump reaffirmed plans to pardon most of those convicted in the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“It’s going to start in the first hour,” he said of the pardons.

He said he would not ask members of his administration to sign a loyalty pledge. “I think I will be able to, for the most part, determine who’s loyal,” he said.

But he said he would fire anyone who doesn’t follow his policies.

The incoming president also reflected on the future of his “Make America Great Again” political movement.

"I hope when I leave office, I’ll be able to also leave people that are extremely competent and get it. And we do have those people. We have far more than you think," he said.

Trump said some of those people include family members and that some of his children would do well in politics.

He suggested that daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who recently announced she is stepping down from her role as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, could be a part of his political dynasty.

“I think there could be, yeah. I see the people we’re talking about. Lara has been amazing. Look, she was the head of the Republican Party,” he said.

With Senator Marco Rubio awaiting confirmation to be secretary of state, Lara Trump has said serving in the Senate is “something I would seriously consider”.

Highlights from Trump's interview with Time

President-elect Donald Trump discussed childhood vaccines, his deportation plans and Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles in a lengthy Time magazine interview.

Here are some notable things Trump said:

Ukraine

Trump criticised Ukraine's use of US-supplied missiles for attacks deep into Russian territory.

"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We're just escalating this war and making it worse."

"That should not have been allowed to be done."

"Now they're doing not only missiles, but they're doing other types of weapons. And I think that's a very big mistake, very big mistake."

Trump said he would not abandon Ukraine, however. "I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you're going to reach an agreement is not to abandon," he said.

Childhood vaccination

Trump said he could end some childhood vaccinations if he thinks they are dangerous.

"It could if I think it's dangerous, if I think they are not beneficial, but I don't think it's going to be very controversial in the end," he said.

Trump said he will listen to the views of Robert F Kennedy Jr, his nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy has sown doubts over the safety and efficacy of vaccines for years, including asserting a link between vaccines and autism.

When asked about the connection between vaccines and autism, Trump said he will want to see test results and numbers.

"The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible. If you look at things that are happening, there's something causing it," he said.

Migrants

Trump said he will use the military to deport migrants, but only to the extent the law allows. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

"It doesn't stop the military if it's an invasion of our country, and I consider it an invasion of our country," Trump said.

"I think in many cases, the sheriffs and law enforcement is going to need help. We'll also get National Guard.

"We'll get National Guard, and we'll go as far as I'm allowed to go, according to the laws of our country."

Trump also vowed to send migrants back to the country they came from and said he would impose tariffs on the countries that don't agree to accept the migrants.

"I'll get them into every country, or we won't do business with those countries," he said.

Trump said he would build more detention camps if needed.

"Whatever it takes to get them out. I don't care. Honestly, whatever it takes to get them out," he said.

"Again, I'll do it absolutely within the confines of the law, but if it needs new camps, but I hope we're not going to need too many because I want to get them out, and I don't want them sitting in camp for the next 20 years."

Trump said he didn't think he would need to go back to separating families.

"I don't believe we'll have to, because we will send the whole family back to the country," he said. "I would much rather deport them together, yes, than separate."

Middle East

Trump said the war in the Middle East will get solved and that he trusts nobody, including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I think the Middle East is going to get solved. I think it's more complicated than the Russia-Ukraine (war), but I think it's easier to solve," Trump said.

He also said he doesn't just support a two-state solution but whatever will bring lasting peace.

Asked if he will allow Israel to annex the West Bank, Trump said, "I will – what I'm doing and what I'm saying again, I'll say it again, I want a long-lasting peace."

Pardoning January 6 defendants

Trump said he would pardon defendants involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack on a "case-by-case" basis on his first day in office on January 20, "maybe (in) the first nine minutes."

"We're going to look at each individual case, and we're going to do it very quickly, and it's going to start in the first hour that I get into office. And a vast majority of them should not be in jail."

Education

Trump said he wants to "move education back to the states" and wants a "virtual closure" of the Department of Education in Washington.

"We're at the bottom of every list in terms of education, and we're at the top of the list in terms of the cost per pupil, and we want to move them back to the states, and we'll spend half the money on a much better product."

Senate filibuster

Trump said he would keep in place the Senate rule known as the filibuster, which requires 60 of its 100 members to agree to pass most legislation, a threshold the new Republican-majority Senate will not clear with Republican votes alone.

Trump noted the filibuster rule would make it difficult for his administration to overturn some Biden-era policies. But when asked if he intended to keep the filibuster in place, Trump responded that he did.

"So I have respect for the filibuster," Trump said.

Recess appointments

Trump did not commit to using recess appointments to install his picks for top administration posts if he cannot get them approved by the Senate.

A recess appointment is an appointment by the president when the Senate is in recess.

"I really don't care how they get them approved, as long as they get them approved," he said.