Trump Slams Time Cover as “Worst Photo Ever” Despite Magazine Praise of His Peace Deal
New York, October 2025 – A striking new Time magazine cover celebrating former President Donald Trump’s role in mediating a Gaza ceasefire has become the subject of a heated dispute — not for its politics, but for its photo.
The cover, headlined “His Triumph,” spotlights Trump in the aftermath of a brokered peace agreement that resulted in the release of Israeli hostages and the reciprocal freeing of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. The magazine lauded the diplomatic breakthrough as a major achievement in Trump’s second term.
Yet Trump, typically vocal about media portrayals of himself, erupted on social media following the cover’s release. He called the photo choice “the worst of all time,” accusing Time of intentionally using an unflattering image. He objected to the apparent hair styling, the lighting, and what he described as a “tiny floating crown” above his head.
Despite his fury over the image, Trump has publicly acknowledged that the Time feature itself was largely favorable. The article posits that the peace deal could define his second term — though it also delves into ongoing challenges, geopolitical skepticism, and the fragility of ceasefire enforcement.
Reactions and Media Response
The backlash has stirred responses from both Trump allies and critics of the magazine:
Some of Trump’s supporters have accused Time of undermining the coverage by choosing such a controversial photo.
Others have speculated that Trump's focus on image reflects a broader struggle with how media frames his persona.
Time has not publicly issued a rebuttal to Trump’s complaints, but the magazine’s editors presumably defended their editorial and photographic judgments — areas over which news publications maintain significant discretion.
Why This Matters
This episode underscores a recurring tension in political media: often the more laudatory or critical the content, the more intense the scrutiny over how a public figure is portrayed visually. For someone like Trump, whose persona and media image are key to his public brand, even the cover photo of a flattering article can become a flashpoint.
In past decades, Time has featured Trump many times — his total cover count is among the highest for any modern U.S. president. But it’s rare for the dispute to be about the visual rather than the narrative itself.
As of now, the debate over Time’s photo choice has become a broader commentary on media influence, the politics of image, and how leaders now critique not just what is said about them, but how they are seen.
Would you like me to dig further into Time’s editorial decision or compare this with other controversial magazine covers of political figures?
0 Comments