It finally happened. Again.
In late 2025, a specific Donald Trump photo on TIME magazine basically broke the internet. You’ve probably seen it by now—the low-angle shot where he’s looking up at the sun, hair glowing like a weird halo, and his neck front and center. Honestly, if you follow politics even a little bit, you know Trump is obsessed with his image. He loves the red border. He's been on that cover dozens of times. But this one? He absolutely hated it.
Early on a Tuesday morning in October 2025, he hopped on Truth Social and called it the "Worst of All Time." He was specifically annoyed that the sun "disappeared" his hair and made it look like a tiny crown.
But here is the kicker: the story inside was actually pretty good for him! It was titled "His Triumph" and talked about his role in a Gaza peace deal. Most politicians would kill for that kind of press. Not him. He couldn’t get past the angle of the lens.
The Fascination with the Red Border
Trump’s relationship with TIME is kinda legendary and deeply weird. He’s appeared on the cover 46 times as of early 2026. That ties him with Ronald Reagan. He’s still trailing Richard Nixon, who holds the record with 55 appearances.
He treats these covers like trophies. If you walk into Mar-a-Lago or his golf clubs, you'll see them framed everywhere. Some are real. Some, well, we’ll get to the fake ones in a minute.
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Why the 2024 and 2025 Covers Matter
In 2024, he was named Person of the Year for the second time. The first was in 2016 when he was the "President of the Divided States of America." The 2024 cover was different. It caught him in a moment of "unhurried bonhomie" at Mar-a-Lago, wearing the classic navy suit and red tie.
Then came the 2025 "100 Days" cover. This one used a portrait by Martin Schoeller, the same guy who photographed him back in 2015. It was a close-up, high-detail shot.
But the October 2025 photo—the "worst" one—is the one people are still talking about. It was shot by Jim Watson during a summit in Egypt. It shows Trump from below, a perspective he famously hates because it emphasizes the "turkey wattle" neck.
The Infamous "Fake" TIME Covers
You can't talk about a Donald Trump photo on TIME magazine without mentioning the fakes. Back in 2017, the Washington Post found out that several of Trump’s golf clubs were displaying a totally bogus cover from March 1, 2009.
The fake cover had headlines like "Trump is hitting on all fronts... even TV!" and "The Apprentice is a television smash!"
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There were a few dead giveaways:
- TIME didn't even publish an issue on March 1, 2009.
- The red border was too skinny.
- The barcode belonged to a karaoke DJ software.
It’s just classic Trump. He wanted the prestige of the magazine so badly that someone—it's still not clear who—just photoshopped it into existence. When the news broke, TIME actually had to ask the Trump Organization to take them down.
A History of Visual Trolling?
Some people think the magazine trolls him on purpose. Take the "Meltdown" and "Total Meltdown" illustrations by Edel Rodriguez from 2016. They showed his face literally dripping away like orange wax.
Then there was the 2018 cover where he’s standing over a crying toddler (part of the "Welcome to America" immigration story).
Even the "Person of the Year" cover in 2016 had people whispering. He was sitting in a chair, looking over his shoulder. Some eagle-eyed readers noticed the "M" in TIME was positioned right behind his head, making it look like he had devil horns.
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TIME said it was a coincidence. They’ve done it to Bill Clinton and the Pope before. But with Trump, nothing ever feels like a coincidence.
The Evan Vucci Photo: A Different Kind of Power
While not a studio portrait, the most impactful Donald Trump photo on TIME magazine in recent years wasn't even staged. It was the July 2024 cover using Evan Vucci’s shot from the Butler, Pennsylvania rally.
You know the one. Blood on his face, fist in the air, American flag in the background.
That image changed the trajectory of his campaign. Even his critics admitted it was one of the most powerful political photos ever taken. It portrayed him as a fighter, which is exactly the brand he’s spent forty years building.
How to Tell a Real Cover from a Fake
If you’re a collector or just a curious bystander, you’ve gotta know what to look for.
- Check the Date: Go to the TIME Vault website. If the date on the cover doesn't match an actual issue, it’s a fake.
- The Border: Real TIME covers have a very specific red border width with a thin white line inside it.
- The Headlines: Look at the fonts. Fakes often use generic fonts that look "off" compared to the professional typography TIME uses.
- Exclamation Points: The real magazine rarely uses exclamation points in its main cover lines. The fakes are usually covered in them.
Actionable Insights for 2026
If you're looking into the history of these photos or want to find high-quality prints, follow these steps:
- Visit the TIME Vault: This is the only way to verify if a Donald Trump photo on TIME magazine is legitimate. You can see every cover back to 1923.
- Look for Artist Names: If you love the stylized illustrations, look up Edel Rodriguez or Tim O'Brien. They are the geniuses behind the most iconic "stormy" Trump covers.
- Fact-Check Viral Images: Social media is full of AI-generated TIME covers. If the "Person of the Year" for the current year hasn't been announced yet, any "leak" you see is almost certainly fake.
The saga of Trump and TIME isn't over. As long as he's in the spotlight, he'll be chasing that record held by Nixon. He's only nine covers away. Whether he likes the photos or calls them "super bad," you can bet he'll keep count of every single one.