In early 2011, the race for the GOP presidential nomination was full of questions, and no candidates attracted as many as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and reality-show host Donald Trump. Would she run? Could he win? Were either of them serious about the race, or were they just using the free publicity to plug their respective TV shows? In a media summit of sorts, Palin rolled into New York City at the end of May as part of her One Nation bus tour and paid a visit to the Donald. The two stepped out into Times Square for a slice of pizza, surrounded by hordes of staff, security, tourists and journalists from almost every news organization in the country. While Palin played coy throughout much of the spring and early summer, Trump tossed his hat in the presidential ring, running on a platform that appeared to consist mainly of questioning President Obama's birthplace. When Obama released his long-form birth certificate (a couple of days before Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden), Trump demanded to see the President's grades, but by that point, the wind had left his sails. Palin never did enter the race, deciding instead to keep her large fees for appearing on Fox News and her reality show, Sarah Palin's Alaska.
The Top 10 Everything of 2011
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Business Blunders
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Comebacks
- Top 10 Consumer-Spending Trends
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Campaign-Debate Moments
- Top 10 Best Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Worst Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Food Trends
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Trends
- Top 10 Marriage Stories
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Memes
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Worst Movies
- Top 10 Best Movies
- Top 10 New Findings in Parenting
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Numbers
- Top 10 Oddball-News Stories
- Top 10 Overreported Stories
- Top 10 People Not Running for President
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Protest Signs
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Ridiculously Obvious Study Findings
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Smart-Phone Apps
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Space Moments
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 Toys
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Best Tweets
- Top 10 Worst Tweets
- Top 10 U.S.-News Stories
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Creative Videos
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 World-News Stories
- Top 10 Photos of the Year
In 54 wide-ranging lists, TIME surveys the highs and lows, the good and the bad, of the past 12 months