Time Magazine Rubs Salt In The Wound Of Trump's Biggest Insecurity
Elon Musk has been generating a lot concerns regarding his activities with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Numerous individuals within the government, including members of Congress, have questioned the legality of Musk's actions. "The big-picture constitutional worry is that there is a kind of shadow executive branch ... outside of the channels the Constitution and the statutes that Congress authorized," Blake Emerson, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, explained to The Washington Post. Now to make this idea even more concrete, Time magazine debuted a cover with a stark red background and Musk sitting behind the presidential desk. Known as the Resolute Desk, this intricately-carved piece dates back to 1880, and it's a longstanding symbol of presidential power.
TIME's new cover: Inside Elon Musk's war on Washington https://t.co/95Qictx4zP pic.twitter.com/QZ73CZqtnM
— TIME (@TIME) February 7, 2025
Users on X (formerly Twitter) wondered how Donald Trump would take this latest jab to his authority. "Hey @realDonaldTrump, who's your president?" questioned one. Another saw it as another example of Musk one-upping Trump. "Whenever Donald Trump looks at Elon Musk he sees that Musk is richer than him, younger than him, has a bigger social media company, and makes cool cars. It is eating Trump alive," they declared.
This isn't the first time Musk has been depicted as taking over Trump's job. The "President Musk" moniker appeared as a potential blow to Trump's ego back in December 2024, when Musk abruptly became involved in Congress' budgetary debates. The jibe is sticking around, with former VP candidate Tim Walz using it to poke at Trump in a recent tweet.
Trump and Musk's relationship has advantages
On the other hand, all this attention on Elon Musk may actually boost Donald Trump's ego in the long run. After analyzing multiple polls, The Washington Post noted Musk's popularity was taking a hit, as people expressed concern with his behavior. Some noted that Musk served as a distraction, freeing Trump to pursue his agenda elsewhere. "It wouldn't surprise me if Trump thought it was kind of good that Musk is taking all this heat, and he's not," surmised Jonathan Swan, White House Reporter for The New York Times.
Others predict that Trump and Musk's bromance may eventually go down in flames. "Of course he's going to fall out with Donald Trump. They're both pretty explosive characters," Maveen Rana asserted on Times Radio. "It's hard to see how they're still friends in four years." Even so, Rana doesn't think a rift will curtail Musk's power grabbing abilities.
Regardless of how people view Musk and his level of power, his position at the Resolute Desk on the Time cover is only symbolic. Musk isn't based in the Oval Office, or even the White House itself — a fact Trump mentioned during a press conference in January 2025. Susie Wiles, Trump's Chief of Staff, is purportedly working behind the scenes to protect Trump's ego and serve as a buffer between Trump and Musk. In addition, since she has a preference for a team-centered approach to political tasks, it's doubtful she and Musk will become chummy.