Donald Trump responds to Time Magazine’s cover of Elon Musk at his Oval office desk
Donald Trump has taken a swipe at Time Magazine after featuring Elon Musk at the president’s desk on its latest cover. Here’s what he had to say.
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President Donald Trump has taken a scathing swipe at Time Magazine after the publication featured Elon Musk sitting at his desk on its latest cover.
The striking cover sees Musk, coffee in hand, positioned between the presidential desk and the American and presidential flags against a bold red backdrop.
In the accompanying piece, headlined “Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington,” journalists Simon Schuster and Brian Bennett explore Musk’s relentless campaign, which has placed “millions of government workers at Musk’s mercy.”
Critics of the president have suggested Musk has too much power as he’s tasked with leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“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 wrote. “DOGE directed all of TIME’s questions about its work to the White House, which declined to comment.”
The back-to-back covers hint that Musk, not Mr Trump, may be the true power behind the throne — an idea that could provoke the president, who is both captivated by the magazine and known for not sharing the spotlight.
When Mr Trump was asked by a reporter about the cover at the White House he jokingly responded: “Is Time Magazine still in business?”. “I didn’t even know that.”
He then went on to praise Musk, doubling down on his decision to bring him along for his presidential term.
“Elon is doing a great job. He’s finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. You see it with the USAID, but you’re going to see it even more so with other agencies and other parts of government,” he said.
“ He’s got a staff that’s fantastic. He’s wanted to be able to do this for a long time.”
Mr Trump has twice been selected as Time’s “person of the year,” most recently in 2024, and has already appeared on its cover since returning to the presidency. He referred to the crowning as a “tremendous honour.”
“Time Magazine, getting this honour for the second time, I think I like it better this time actually,” he said at the event.
At the time, the publication’s editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs defended their decision for choosing one of the most controversial U.S. presidents in history — twice.
Reporter: Mr. President, do you have a reaction to the new time magazine cover that has Elon Musk sitting behind your resolute desk at time magazine?
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 7, 2025
Trump: No… Is Time magazine still in business? I didn't even know that. pic.twitter.com/ity2kJ4dKj
“This is someone who made a historic comeback, who reshaped the American presidency and who’s reordering American politics,” Jacobs said. “It’s hard to argue with the fact that the person who’s moving into the Oval Office is the most influential person in news.”
Time’s latest issue marks Musk’s second appearance on the magazine’s cover in recent months, following his November feature as “Citizen Musk,” which portrayed him as a “kingmaker” in the presidential election.
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Originally published as Donald Trump responds to Time Magazine’s cover of Elon Musk at his Oval office desk