Donald Trump's Biggest Enemies Named as 'Most Influential'

Two of former president Donald Trump's biggest enemies were named as Time magazine's "Most Influential People" of 2024 on Wednesday.

Amid the 2024 election, where Trump is set to face off against President Joe Biden later this year, the former president is facing a myriad of legal troubles as he faces both civil and criminal cases including four criminal cases, which include 91 felony charges. Trump has maintained his innocence in all cases, accusing prosecutors of investigating him for political purposes.

On Wednesday, Time magazine published its comprehensive list of "The Most Influential People of 2024" featuring both E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle columnist, and Department of Justice's (DOJ) Special Counsel Jack Smith under the category "leaders," as both public figures have most notably been at the center of Trump's legal cases.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

In January, Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million to Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. A separate jury last year awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said the cases were politically motivated as he vowed to appeal the jury's $83.3 million verdict.

According to Tarana Burke, the founder of the MeToo movement, who wrote about Carroll in Time's issue, Carroll "embodied what #MeToo was actually about: not a woman taking down a powerful man, but a woman freeing herself. And in E. Jean's case, it just so happens, freeing millions more alongside her."

However, since Carroll's civil case against Trump, the former president has often taken to his social media platform Truth Social to criticize Carroll and the case she brought against him.

Earlier this month, Trump continued to take aim at Carroll, writing on Truth Social, "How many Corrupt, Biased, Crooked [President] Joe Biden-'Protection Agency' New York Judges do I have to endure before somebody steps in?

"I had New York Federal Judge, Lewis Kaplan, with a woman who I never knew, and had nothing to do with, until she sued me for 'defamation.' She did not know what day, month, or year the supposed 'incident' took place—She knew nothing," Trump added.

Meanwhile, Smith has led the DOJ investigation against Trump's election interference case. In August, the former president was indicted on four counts, accused of attempting to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss to Biden in the run-up to the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

In addition, federal prosecutors charged Trump with 31 counts for allegedly keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for president, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has repeatedly maintained his innocence in that case

Trump has also taken to Truth Social to heavily scrutinize Smith. Earlier this month, Trump called Smith out for "attacking" Florida U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over his classified documents case.

"Deranged 'Special' Counsel Jack Smith, who has a long record of failure as a prosecutor, including a unanimous decision against him in the U.S. Supreme Court, should be sanctioned or censured for the way he is attacking a highly respected Judge, Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over his FAKE Documents Hoax case in Florida," the former president wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

However, according to Neal Katyal, a former Acting U.S. Solicitor General, who wrote about Smith in Time's issue, Trump's "wave of attacks" has led the special counsel to be "better equipped."

"Until a year ago, prosecuting a former President wasn't a thing, but Smith has made it so...He has been dealt a difficult hand: strict time constraints, a tough judge, an unending wave of attacks from Trump, and intense public pressure. But as a man who built his career prosecuting powerful public officials accused of major crimes, he is better equipped for this than most," Katyal said.