On October 14, 2025, President Donald Trump criticized TIME’s newest cover—reportedly the November 10 issue with the cover line “His Triumph”—saying the low-angle portrait “may be the Worst of All Time” and claiming it “disappeared” his hair and added a crown-like shape above his head. The story itself highlights his role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner-hostage exchange, but Trump questioned the magazine’s photo choice and editorial intent in posts on Truth Social during his return from the region.
The flap adds to a long, complicated history between Trump and TIME. He was Person of the Year in 2016 and again in 2024, when the magazine profiled his comeback and agenda ahead of a second term, publishing multiple features and a lengthy interview transcript. Earlier in 2025, a widely shared, AI-generated fake TIME cover portraying Trump as a king circulated via official channels, prompting fact-checks and renewed scrutiny of image manipulation around political figures.
