A Presidential Portrait Gone Wrong: Trump’s Fiery Critique of TIME Magazine’s Cover
Former President Donald Trump is no stranger to the spotlight, but his latest clash with TIME magazine has sparked a heated debate that goes beyond politics. In a recent issue, TIME featured Trump on its cover, praising his role in brokering a historic Gaza ceasefire—a move many consider his most significant diplomatic achievement. But here’s where it gets controversial: Trump himself has slammed the cover photo as ‘the worst of all time.’
The image, taken by Graeme Sloane for Bloomberg at the White House, captures Trump from a low angle with the sun behind him, creating a halo effect that, according to Trump, makes his hair ‘disappear’ and leaves him looking like he’s wearing a ‘floating crown.’ ‘Really weird!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?’
Trump’s obsession with TIME’s cover is well-documented. He’s graced it four times in the past year alone and even displayed mock-up covers at his golf clubs—a practice the magazine asked him to stop in 2017. But this time, the criticism isn’t just about vanity. It’s about intent.
And this is the part most people miss: The angle of the photo, while unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck, was likely chosen to convey a sense of power and heroism. Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor, explains, ‘They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look heroic. Staring up at someone gives a sense of their grandeur, and Trump’s face actually looks contemplative and almost slightly angelic.’ Yet, as Earl notes, ‘you can’t always please the subject matter.’
The controversy didn’t stop with Trump. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office tweeted a version of the photo with Trump’s chin and neck pixelated, adding fuel to the fire. Meanwhile, Maria Zakharova, Russia’s director of information, defended Trump, calling TIME’s choice ‘self-incriminating’ and suggesting it revealed more about the magazine’s biases than about Trump himself. ‘Only sick people, people obsessed with malice and hatred—perhaps even perverts—could have chosen such a photo,’ she wrote on Telegram.
So, what’s the real story behind this photo? Was it a deliberate attempt to undermine Trump, or a creative effort to capture his leadership in a unique light? And why does TIME seem to have a different standard for Biden, whose physical infirmities are often downplayed in their coverage? These questions open the door to a broader discussion about media bias, the power of imagery, and the fine line between journalism and artistry.
But here’s the real question for you: Is Trump’s criticism justified, or is he overreacting? Does the photo truly diminish his achievement, or does it elevate him in ways he doesn’t appreciate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this is one debate that’s far from over.
