Time magazine recently published a cover for its February 24 launch, attracting attention with the photo of billionaire Elon Musk sitting at the sedentary table - the iconic table for the US President in the Oval Office. The collage shows Musk sitting leisurely, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, behind him the US flag and the presidential flag on a prominent red background.
The accompanying article, written by Simon Shuster and Brian Bennett, focuses on analyzing Elon Musk's growing influence in politics, when it said that "millions of government employees are currently under his complete control".
The authors emphasized that it seems Elon Musk is not responsible to anyone except President Donald Trump, who has given him an important role in orienting the government's agenda.
This is the second time Elon Musk has appeared on the cover of Time in recent months. Two consecutive covers are like an underlying statement that it is not President Trump but Elon Musk who is truly in power. This is said to be a possible dissatisfaction for Mr Trump.
When asked about the new cover of Time, Mr. Trump appeared calm and even joking: "Is Time magazine still active? I didnt even know about that.
However, Mr. Trump has been honored by Time as Person of the Year twice, most recently last year. He is no stranger to appearing on the cover of this magazine during his time as president.
Elon Musk, the largest sponsor in the 2024 presidential election with a contribution of more than $288 million, played a key role in Mr. Trump's victory. After Mr. Trump took office, Mr. Musk was appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - the agency in charge of government streamlining. This has sparked controversy over the possibility of conflicts of interest, with Elon Musk both a large-scale businessman and a powerful figure in government.
such a conflict of interest in the contracts and funding that DOGE is monitoring would prevent Elon Musk from doing so, said Karoline Leavitt, a press secretary for the Trump administration, at a press conference on May 5.
Many Democrats and critics did not hesitate to call Mr. Musk an underground president, emphasizing his influence beyond the business field of Mr. Trumps administration. Meanwhile, Time magazine declined to comment on whether the new cover was designed to provoke Trump.
