FACT CHECK: Did Time Magazine Publish A Cover Calling Donald Trump The ‘Worst. President. Ever’?

Bradley Devlin | General Assignment & Analysis Reporter

An image shared on Facebook nearly 300 times purportedly shows a Time Magazine cover that calls President Donald Trump the “Worst. President. Ever.”

Verdict: False

The cover image was never published by Time Magazine, according to a review by Check Your Fact of the publication’s covers. A spokesperson for the publication also confirmed it “is not an authentic TIME cover.”

Fact Check:

In the alleged magazine cover, a skull has been superimposed over half of Trump’s face. The title reads, “Worst. President. Ever. How Donald Trump has disgraced the highest office in the nation.” The supposed cover goes on to describe the president as a “Divider,” “Liar,” “Thief,” “Usurper” and “Manipulator,” among other words.

The band “CAKE” shared the image on Friday with the caption: “Unfair portrayal? Explain why or why not.” (RELATED: Viral Image Claims A Person Who Receives 4 Ballot Applications Can Vote 4 Times)

The image lacks traditional markings of a Time Magazine cover, indicating it has been fabricated. Typically, Time Magazine covers also have the publication date in the top right corner and “time.com” in the bottom right-hand corner, both of which are absent from the image. The image also lacks the traditional red border that adorns most of Time Magazine’s covers, further adding to its dubiousness.

Kristin Matzen, communications director for Time Magazine, confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact that the image being shared “is not an authentic TIME cover.”

Over the course of Trump’s presidency, Time Magazine has published more than 20 different covers depicting photos, caricatures or cartoons of Trump. None of them have appear to have depicted with the president’s face superimposed with a skull, nor have they called the president the “Worst. President. Ever.”

Bradley Devlin

General Assignment & Analysis Reporter
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