Time features Musk at Oval Office desk, Trump mocks magazine's relevance

The cover showcases Elon Musk holding a coffee cup while seated at the presidential desk, with the American and presidential flags positioned in the background

Time magazine's latest print edition features tech mogul Elon Musk sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, which led US President Donald Trump to jibe at the magazine's relevance, asking, 'Is Time's Magazine still in business?'

 

The cover showcases Musk holding a coffee cup while seated at the presidential desk, with the American and presidential flags positioned in the background. A simple red backdrop completes the magazine’s design.

 

In addition, Time published a feature on Friday titled "Inside Elon Musk's War on Washington", detailing the billionaire's efforts to reform the federal government since Trump's inauguration on January 20 of the previous year.

 

 

Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with streamlining the bureaucracy, has faced scrutiny for his attempts to dismantle agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Education.

 

The article, written by Simon Schuster and Brian Bennett, suggests that Musk’s actions have left "millions of government workers at Musk’s mercy."

 

"So far, Musk appears to answer to no one but President Trump, who gave his campaign supporter an extensive mandate to align the government with his agenda. DOGE redirected all of Time's inquiries about its operations to the White House, which declined to comment," wrote Schuster and Bennett.

 

When asked about Time’s cover featuring Musk, Trump responded, "Is Time's magazine still in business? I didn’t even know that."

 

Trump-Musk on Time's cover

 

This marks Musk's second appearance on the magazine's cover, with his first in November of the previous year under the title "Citizen Musk." That feature focused on his influential role as a "kingmaker" during the November 5 presidential election, where Trump triumphed over his Democratic opponent and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

 

Trump has been named Time's "Person of the Year" twice, most recently following his victory in the presidential race. The Republican, eager to appear on the cover, once made headlines by fabricating an issue of the magazine that praised his reality TV show, *The Apprentice*.

 

Earlier in December, Trump dismissed rumours about Musk, who was born in South Africa, taking over the presidency, stating, "It’s not happening," and referenced the constitutional requirement that one must be born in the US to hold the top office.

 

According to the US Constitution, only a natural-born American citizen can become president.

 

Trump’s comments came amid growing questions from both his supporters and Democrats about Musk’s increasing influence within the administration. However, Trump's office has consistently denied claims that Musk holds significant sway in his decisions.