The photograph featured Trump in his trademark navy suit and red tie, positioned against a bright sky and shot from a low angle—a composition that, to most readers, seemed dramatic and bold. But to Trump, the angle and lighting felt less like a tribute and more like a slight.
“TIME Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time,” he wrote on Truth Social. “They disappeared my hair and put something floating on top of my head that looked like a tiny crown—really weird!”
His complaint may have seemed lighthearted at first glance, but the former president made it clear that he took the image as a deliberate misrepresentation. “I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles,” he added. “This is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?”
A Complicated History with TIME
Trump’s relationship with TIME Magazine has always been fraught with tension, admiration, and rivalry. He has appeared on the cover multiple times since his first feature in 1989 and was twice named Person of the Year. Yet, his interactions with the publication have often been colored by public feuds.
In 2015, he criticized the magazine for overlooking him as Person of the Year, and in later years, dismissed its 100 Most Influential People list as a “joke.” Despite these clashes, he has long understood the cultural significance of a TIME cover—a symbol of influence that few political figures can ignore.
That context makes his reaction unsurprising. For Trump, image has always been inseparable from identity. The photograph, taken from below and lit harshly against the midday sky, appeared to flatten the familiar sweep of his blond hair—one of his most recognizable features and a frequent topic of public curiosity.
The Hair Debate That Never Ends
