Playboy, fighter, golfer, and George Washington wig wearer: Donald Trump’s greatest magazine covers | design

IIn a turn of events that may surprise some, Donald Trump expressed some concerns about himself this week. He first questioned the attractiveness of his beach body, then criticized Time magazine for its unflattering cover photo. In fairness, he wasn’t wrong. He described the photo taken from below as “the worst ever.” People focused on the dag’s neck, the soft hair, and the inside of his nose.

The question he asked about editorial decision was actually a very relevant question. “What are they doing and why?” This is the kind of scrutiny journalism should attract, except that media culture is dying fast – and this has a lot to do with Trump himself. Constantly criticizing Pulitzer Prize-winning publications as “fake news” and then retweeting photoshopped images and deepfakes is not helping the situation.

Here are some of Trump’s most memorable past covers — some of which he liked, some of which he disliked in no uncertain terms.

Time, 2024

There is no doubt that this is a cover that pleases the president much more. Love him or despise him, there’s no denying that standing mere seconds after a bullet hits the side of your head and screaming “Murder, Killer, Killer!” It is a brave step. Maybe crazy, but brave. The photo of that moment, taken by Ivan Vauci, would become one of the most important images in political history.

The relationship between time and Trump is troubled. He famously mocked the covers of himself to attach them to four of his golf clubs, which led to the magazine writing to the president to ask him to remove them (and a libelous cartoon from The New Yorker). The magazine released a number of memorable covers featuring Trump, including an illustration of stormy conditions in the Oval Office, and one of his golf carts stuck in a basement.

One of his most recent covers of Time magazine was when he was named Person of the Year — a title Trump has held twice. (Although he once claimed he refused, Time magazine denied this in a statement.) Before Trump entered the White House for the first time, he appeared on the cover of the magazine only once, in 1989. But in 2017 he falsely claimed that he had appeared on the cover more times than anyone else. In fact, he was outdone by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan at the time.

The second time he was named Person of the Year, Trump said: “Well, thank you very much. This is a great honor, a great honor.” (Up for debate, when previous winners include Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.) He was also delighted with one cover of Time magazine, which he waved at a rally in Des Moines. “They used to call him ‘Man of the Year,’ but they can’t do that anymore. They call him ‘Person of the Year’. It’s the same thing. That’s good. But look at that, it’s a nice-looking cover.”

Esquire, 2004

While Trump may not have appeared on the cover of Time much before politics, he has appeared on many others as a brash, fame-seeking New York business mogul and a fixture on the Manhattan social scene. Trump is obsessed with gold. He loves bling. It makes sense, then, that Esquire would distribute it with medals and rings. Also shout out the accompanying cover lines: “Wild tales of strippers! Strippers! Tsunamis! Leopard attacks!” Talk about something for everyone. Note the other feature: “The case is for Bush.” In fact, this is not an op-ed about pubic hair, but about George W. Bush.

Oh, and what about the Trump story? “How will I run the country (better).” In fact, the first mention of Trump’s desire to reach the highest office was around 1987. It turns out that we had to take his words seriously and literally.

Part 41, 2016

A very innovative cover of the Milan-based magazine dedicated to all things design and style. By layering the cover using the Trompe-l’œil technique (pun likely intended), the magazine’s gallery arm has put together an exhibition titled American Change, featuring this cover, created by Japanese artist Kensuke Koike. A copy of the magazine was also included in the London Design Museum’s Hope to Nope show.

There are other covers with a similar theme; Trump’s mouth is rather an object of fascination. Note that the Impressionists would first try to establish his voice; The second thing is mouth wrinkling. Recently, the Queen of the Netherlands was caught mocking Trump’s lip movements – a bold move considering he was standing right next to her. Some might liken the overall aesthetic of this particular jaw to a cat’s butt, but that wouldn’t be me. The good thing about this cover is that it represents a departure from the usual way cover designers depict Trump’s mouth – black text on his nose to resemble Hitler’s mustache. It’s done guys. Many times.

Vanity Fair, 2024

In the past few years, outlets have begun producing digital covers for online readers. This was a stunning one in 2024 from Vanity Fair, not only for the intense close-up, but also the array of numbers displayed directly down the left side. I can’t really complain when you add the facts. The cover went viral upon its release, garnering millions of likes and views on X alone.

Trump has a history of beef with Vanity Fair. Particularly with its former editor, Graydon Carter, who once referred to Trump as a “short-fingered vulgar.” On the other hand, Trump described Carter as “the real loser.” Trump has often criticized the magazine on social media, and in 2016 he tweeted: “Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers for Vanity Fair. He’s gone, big problem, he’s dead! Graydon Carter, who has no talent, is out!” He was right about the latter part, but Carter stepped down in 2017, staying in office longer than planned to cover the beginning of the Trump administration.

International, 2017

The design of the matryoshka doll is not very original, but it is very well executed from the progressive weekly magazine Internazionale, which translates long articles from around the world into Italian. The cover’s subtext is clear, and the details are such that one doesn’t need Putin’s fully exposed face to recognize him. We can spot those plump lips and filler-enhanced cheeks anywhere.

Bloomberg Businessweek, 2016

Perhaps most troubling is what was reported in the 2016 Chinese edition of Bloomberg Businessweek. Trump likes to assert his reputation as a great businessman, which is questionable given his multiple bankruptcy filings. However, he is currently receiving praise for brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. (Maybe listen to the “The Art of the Deal” audiobook to improve his skills.)

The cover line translates to: “Donald Trump is the modern-day political Steve Jobs, who has turned his US presidential campaign into a one-man show.” This would have pleased Trump to no end, as he seemed to be a fan of Jobs, tweeting glowing things about him several times. Except when he declared: “I’ve always been a fan of Steve Jobs…but the yacht he built is really ugly.”

However, Trump is not a huge fan of Steve Jobs’ widow, who owns shares in The Atlantic, and believes the late Apple designer “wouldn’t be happy” with Laurene Powell Jobs wasting money on publishing. (Powell Jobs also donated $930,000 to Biden’s 2020 campaign.)

Playboy, 1990

Trump is back in his playboy era here — literally. We know Trump is keen on this cover because he was photographed holding the magazine and signing it not long ago. (A signed copy is available on eBay for $4,000.) The truth is, it looks pretty good here. The suit fits much better than the one he wore to Buckingham Palace in 2019 – although real confirmation can only come from the Menswear Guy.

In the cover interview, which you can read here, Trump appears to rule out running for president in the future — despite raising the topic specifically because of his past musings. Speaking about himself in the third person, he told the outlet: “The presidency? No, that requires an election, and Trump is clearly not that patient.”

Trump probably won’t be too happy to hear that Hugh Hefner’s son said his father “regrets” the cover. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, Cooper Hefner said: “We don’t respect the man. There’s a personal embarrassment that Trump is someone who’s on our cover.”

New York, 1992

The funniest thing about this cover is that the tie makes Trump look to the whole world like he goes to an underperforming British primary school. Tie screams geography second period. And the situation? Organized fight behind the math block at the end of the final bell. The reason Trump had to “come out of the cloth” to quote the subtitle is that in the late 1980s Trump seemed to be in a state of frustration. As Politico described it, the businessman “lost his mind” and “sowed the seeds of his near ruin” by making disastrous financial choices. But if there’s one thing Trump has proven, it’s that he has staying power. He is the human embodiment of Chumbawamba’s greatest success (only).

New York, 2015

Is there a headline worse than “Donald Trump Saves Our Democracy”? Probably not, because he is trying to organize a coup against the elected government.

Trump’s hair is one of the most recognizable things about him, so this cover, which has been digitally manipulated so that he wears a wig styled in imitation of George Washington, is quite an aberration. Although the reference to the Founding Father is obvious, the look veers slightly toward curls.

The two examples above aren’t the only New York editions to have amazing Trump covers. The strip’s “loser” line is one such line, which the magazine has released an explanation of online. And there’s this one, which is about Washington’s age.

Liberation, 2016

There is nothing ambiguous here. The left-leaning newspaper Liberation combines what some might consider two of New York’s most notorious villains, with Trump channeling Patrick Bateman. There’s also a touch of The Godfather. The French magazine was not the only publication to refer to Trump on its cover as Bret Easton Ellis, with the New Statesman doing the same.

In terms of strict assessment, a contender would be Die Welt’s clear phrase “Das Ende Der Welt” on the 2016 cover, which I feel even non-German speakers could try to understand. It was a brilliant cover, showing Trump as a series of roaring rage in the shape of a comet on its way to consume the Earth. This work, by Idel Rodriguez, won the Grand Prize at the Art Directors Club of Germany Awards. The magazine and Rodriguez followed up with a more controversial and perhaps ill-judged cover of the president beheading the state of freedom.

The Economist, 2018

One for pop culture fans. In 2013, Miley Cyrus’ song Wrecking Ball (taken from the accurately titled album Bangerz) was topping the charts — and she was riding a giant wrecking ball in the music video. Memes abounded at the time, but five years later, The Economist took inspiration and came out swinging with this cover. I’m not sure Trump would fit the cherry-colored Doc Martens character that Cyrus wore in the video, but I support illustrator Ben Kirshner for including her in the image. It is not impossible that he owns the real shoes, as the singer auctioned off the shoes for charity. The accompanying cover story you can read here.

The New Yorker, 2016

The symbol for Democrats is the donkey, and for Republicans it is the elephant. The former was associated with Andrew Jackson (opponents called him “jackass”), and the latter with Abraham Lincoln (“seeing an elephant” was a term used by soldiers during the Civil War). It’s a clever New Yorker cover that depicts how Trump has divided the old-school Republican Party. It’s safe to say that the Never Trump movement has failed miserably — and now there are masked men pulling people off the street, which is terrifying. But don’t forget: in a circus trick, the subject of the post is a volunteer.

The cover was drawn by Barry Blitt of The New Yorker and given the title “The Grand Illusion”. Plitt said this is the fourth time in less than a year that he has been appointed by the president. There’s a gallery of Plett’s previous Trump covers here.