Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Time Magazine's Latest Trump Cover Is Actually the Third in a Series, and It's Genius

Time Magazine's Latest Trump Cover Is Actually the Third in a Series, and It's Genius
US President Donald Trump portrait behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office (National Archives)

Well played.

People may experience a sense of déjà vu when looking at the latest Time magazine cover. The artwork by Tim O'Brien also sets a record for the 95-year-old newsmagazine.

While other Time covers related to each other, this is the first time the magazine featured a series showing a sequence of events in the same setting with the same person: President Donald Trump.


While Trump may see his frequent covers as an honor, they hardly offer a flattering view of the 45th President. The September 3, 2018 cover is no different.

O'Brien's latest continues to show Trump's mounting troubles in the White House.

The first in the series of three Time covers—titled "Nothing to See Here"—depicted the President seated behind the famed Resolute Desk—a large 19th-century desk used by seven Presidents as the White House Oval Office desk. A storm rages while Trump sits seemingly unaffected.

"Nothing to See Here" by artist Tim O'Brien (Time)

Describing his inspiration for the February 2017 cover, O'Brien stated:

"When I painted the ‘Nothing to See Here’ cover art, like many, I assumed the level of chaos could not last... as the never-ending flood of breaking news washed over the White House, and the firings, the scandals and the general mayhem filled each news cycle, I felt the storm metaphor was as relevant as ever."

Watch video of the creation of Nothing to See Here" below:

The second cover, "Stormy," came in April 2018 after the FBI raids on Trump long-time personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. It is a nod both to the mounting issues being faced by Trump and a nod to Stormy Daniels—the pseudonym and preferred name of the dancer, actress, writer and director who performs in adult films.

The President again looks unfazed by the rising water and chaos around him, matching his strategy of denying or discrediting the truth.

"Stormy" by artist Tim O'Brien (Time)

O'Brien's latest is titled "In Deep". While Trump no longer sits behind the Resolute Desk, he still keeps his head above water. In describing his latest artwork, O'Brien stated:

"I felt that it was too comical or perhaps morbid to see him sitting there. But to have him at the top suggests he’s still fighting despite the deepening issues."

"In Deep" by artist Tim O'Brien (Time)

The latest O'Brien Trump cover comes after a tough week for the President. A jury found his former campaign manager Paul Manafort guilty on 8 charges and deadlocked on 10 other charges.

And that Trump fixer and lawyer who inspired the second cover, Michael Cohen, cut a plea deal with federal prosecutors implicating Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator in several crimes.

Reactions to the latest Time cover on Twitter range from admiration for O'Brien's artistic efforts to commentary on the man they depict as the following tweets show.

The detail accurately depicted in O'Brien's artwork cannot be overstated.

Although a few pointed out some details they think O'Brien got wrong.

While some wondered, if O'Brien continues the series, what would come next?

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshots of moments when Brian McGinnis was dragged out of a hearing by Capitol Police and Tim Sheehy
@alanhe/X

MAGA Senator Appears To Snap Arm Of Marine Vet Protesting Iran War In Alarming Video

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy has alarmed critics after he reportedly broke the arm of Brian McGinnis, an anti-war U.S. Marine veteran and political candidate, while helping U.S. Capitol Police remove him from a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing for protesting the war in Iran.

McGinnis is running as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina's Senate race. Roughly half an hour into the hearing on military readiness, proceedings were interrupted when a man identified as McGinnis began shouting from the room.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Slammed After Suggesting Reports Of Deadly Strike On Iranian Girls' School Are Just 'Propaganda'

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was criticized after she rejected reports that the U.S. struck a girls' elementary school in Iran, killing 175 people, insisting in remarks to the press pool that it's just Iranian "propaganda" that they've "fallen" for.

Iranian state media and health officials said the strike occurred early Saturday morning in Minab, in the country’s southern Hormozgan Province. Journalists from international news organizations have not been granted access to independently verify the reported death toll or the circumstances surrounding the strike.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @madswellness's TikTok video
@madswellness/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate With Her Viral Hot Take That We Should 'Normalize Not Liking Dogs'

We're all different people with different interests, and it's perfectly okay that we like different things.

But there are some people who passionately, even vehemently, draw the line at other people liking or disliking dogs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @vanellimelli030's TikTok video
@vanellimelli030/TikTok

Model Accuses Fashion Brand Of Using AI To Recreate Her Looks For Ad Instead Of Hiring Her

There used to be laws in place for someone's likeness being used without their consent, and most certainly if their likeness was being used in an exploitative way for profit.

But now with the rise of AI-generated photographs, advertisements, and other digital products, the lines seem to have become muddied between the illegal stealing of someone's likeness and AI "inspiration."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @anissahm15's TikTok video
@anissahm15/TikTok

TikToker Secretly Records Unhinged Spectrum Employee Screaming At Her For Trying To Cancel Her Service

Employees in commission-based positions are feeling increasingly pressured to acquire new clients, retain previous clients, and solve the issues their clients call in about with high satisfaction ratings.

Even though tensions are high, and the pressure they're feeling may be unrealistic for any one person to take, that doesn't give them the right to mistreat people who do not want to sign up or want to cancel.

Keep ReadingShow less