In a bold gesture that may be designed to provoke President Donald Trump, Time magazine’s latest cover features Elon Musk seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Known for its iconic covers, Time’s latest publication arrives at a time when Trump has granted Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency sweeping authority to overhaul the federal workforce—power that, in recent days, has faced some resistance through lawsuits.
The cover, a minimalist design showing Musk holding a cup of coffee between the presidential desk and the flags of the United States and the presidency, is set against a vibrant red backdrop. The accompanying article by Simon Schuster and Brian Bennett offers a closer look at Musk’s aggressive campaign, which has placed “millions of government workers at Musk’s mercy.”
“So far, Musk appears accountable to no one but President Trump, who handed his campaign benefactor a sweeping mandate to bring the government in line with his agenda,” Schuster and Bennett noted. “DOGE directed all of TIME’s questions about its work to the White House, which declined to comment.”
This issue marks the second time in a short span that Musk has graced Time’s print cover, following his appearance in November as “Citizen Musk,” in an article portraying him as a “kingmaker” influencing the presidential election. These two covers suggest that Musk, rather than Trump, holds the true influence behind the scenes—an idea likely to irritate Trump, who has a long history of obsessing over the magazine and resenting any notion of shared power.
Time did not respond when asked whether the cover was purposely designed to provoke Trump, but this approach could well be intentional.
When asked about the cover during a White House event on Friday, Trump responded with sarcasm.
“Is Time magazine still in business?” Trump quipped. “I didn’t even know that.”
Trump has previously spoken with admiration about the magazine, which holds a prestigious place in his world. Having been named Time’s “Person of the Year” twice, including most recently in 2024, Trump has made multiple appearances on the cover since reclaiming the presidency. His desire for recognition from the magazine has even led him to fabricate a fictitious cover issue praising his reality show, “The Apprentice.”
If Time’s cover is indeed meant to spark controversy, it would not be the first time the magazine’s famous front page has caused a rift between Trump and a close ally.
The feature on Musk bears a striking resemblance to Time’s 2017 cover story on Steve Bannon, who, much like Musk, had Trump’s ear during his first term in office. During the early days of the Trump administration, media coverage painted Bannon, then the White House’s chief strategist, as the mastermind pulling Trump’s strings. Time infamously dubbed Bannon “the great manipulator.” Pop culture embraced the narrative, with Bannon being humorously dubbed “President Bannon” by “Saturday Night Live,” which portrayed him as a grim reaper figure controlling Trump.
For Trump, who has always been sensitive about sharing the spotlight, Bannon’s rise and subsequent fall only underscored the perception of Trump as weak. This led to Bannon’s eventual ouster and loss of favor with the president.
Unlike Bannon, Musk has yet to use his platform on X to discuss his newfound role or accolades, even as he continues to take aggressive stances against his critics.
Since Trump’s return to office, Musk’s mission has been to mirror the same hard-nosed tactics he used in slashing Twitter’s workforce after acquiring the platform in 2022. But in a move that deviates from Trump’s usual style, Musk appears to have been given full authority over the cuts.
“He [Trump] said that if Elon Musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that DOGE is overseeing, then Elon will excuse himself from those contracts,” Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary from Trump’s administration, explained during a Wednesday briefing.
{Matzav.com}