The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
La imagen de Donald Trump a través de las portadas de dos publicaciones
históricas: Time y The New Yorker (2015-2021)
doxa.comunicación |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
| 21
July-December of 2025
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
González-Díez, L.; Tabuenca Bengoa, M. and Navarro Sierra N. (2025). e image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time Magazine
and
e New Yorker
(2015-2021).
Doxa Comunicación
, 41, pp. 21-51.
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n41a2721
Laura González-Díez.
Professor on the Faculty of Humanities and Communication Science at CEU San Pablo
University. Principal investigator of the consolidated research group
Investigación en Comunicación a través de la
Imagen y del Diseño (ICOIDI
) [research in communication through image and design]. With a PhD in Information
Science (
UCM
), her research revolves around graphic design in general, and journalistic design in particular, as well as
the typographic evolution of newspapers and magazines. Author of more than thirty articles in high-impact journals,
seven books, and more than sixty chapters in anthologies. Professor González-Díez has been part of the teams of twelve
research projects funded by national and international organisations, both public and private. Moreover, she has served
in the following capacities: director of the Department of Audio-visual Communication and Advertising at
USP-CEU
(2015-2019), as well as its academic secretary (2007-2015); director of the
Informative Graphics
section (2007-2015); and
director of the
Servicio de Apoyo a la Investigación del Centro Audiovisual
[research support service of the audio-visual
centre] (
SAI-CA
) (2015-2017). She is also the associate editor of the journal,
Index.comunicación. Revista cientíca de
comunicación aplicada
[index.communication. Scientic journal of applied communication], as well as a design and
graphics communication consultant for various public and private institutions.
CEU San Pablo University, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID:
0000-0003-1209-8845
María Tabuenca Bengoa.
PhD in Journalism and an Associate Professor at CEU San Pablo University. She also holds
a Master’s Degree in Magazine Publishing, Production and Management, and a second Master’s in Scenographic
Design for Film, eatre, and Television. Moreover, she is a member of several research groups, including the following:
the consolidated research group
ICOIDI
[research in communication through image and design] of
USP-CEU
; the
high-performing research team
INECO
[innovation, education, and communication] of URJC; and the consolidated
innovation group
NODOS
[innovation in teaching], also of URJC. Professor Tabuenca Bengoa is a member of the
editorial team of the scientic journal known as
Index.comunicación
(SCOPUS Q1), and her main line of research is
focused on graphic design and typography. Apart from having 50 publications, she has also participated in national
and international conferences focused mainly on poster art and design, both in the urban environment and in the lm
industry, as well as newspaper design, both print and digital.
CEU San Pablo University, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID:
0000-0002-4486-9387
is content is published under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. International License CC BY-NC 4.0
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22 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
1. Introduction
e cover of a magazine is an essential feature of any periodical, both from the point of view of its design, as well as the content
selected to be displayed therein as a way of attracting attention, which is further developed on the inside pages. us, the
cover is seen as an attractive showcase for the audience, which should display not only the main content, but the identity
Nuria Navarro Sierra.
Senior lecturer at Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain. She is a participating member of the project
entitled,
Politainment ante la Fragmentación Mediática: Desintermediación, Engagement y Polarización
[politainment
in the face of media fragmentation: disintermediation, engagement and polarisation], which is funded by the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Innovation. Professor Navarro Sierra is also a researcher for the
Grupo Espacio Negativo
[negative space group], as well as a member of the
Grupo de Innovación Docente Área Creativa
[the innovative teaching
area group]. Her main lines of research include the study of disinformation in media outlets, the new digital media, in
addition to social and sustainable design related to the Sustainable Development Goals (
SDG
s). Other main lines of
study include serious games in journalism and education, in which she is currently working on a project associated with
Digital Literacy Games, in collaboration with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID:
0000-0002-1431-1534
Recibido: 26/06/2024 - Aceptado: 09/12/2024 - En edición: 03/02/2025 - Publicado: 01/07/2025
Resumen:
La portada de una revista es un componente esencial en cualquier
publicación, funcionando como un escaparate atractivo que reeja
su identidad, contenido y carácter. Este artículo presenta los resulta
-
dos de una exhaustiva investigación sobre las portadas dedicadas a
Donald Trump por las icónicas publicaciones Time Magazine y e
New Yorker, abarcando desde su precandidatura hasta su mandato
como presidente de los Estados Unidos (junio de 2015 a enero de 2021).
La relevancia del estudio radica en sus objetivos y en la metodología
ad hoc diseñada para analizar el diseño y el contenido de las 71 por
-
tadas seleccionadas. Los objetivos son: identicar el estilo (análisis del
diseño) y el fondo (análisis de contenido/discurso); establecer el papel
informativo y persuasivo de estas portadas; y determinar la construc
-
ción de la gura de Trump, identicando las principales característi
-
cas del discurso en las fotografías e ilustraciones, así como el tipo de
mensaje que transmiten. Los hallazgos revelan una evolución de los
temas dominantes, su conexión con la actualidad, el discurso reejado
y el posicionamiento ideológico de las cabeceras protagonistas de la
investigación.
Palabras clave:
Time magazine; e New Yorker; Donald Trump; portada; diseño
gráco.
Received: 26/06/2024 - Accepted: 09/12/2024 - Early access: 03/02/2025 - Published: 01/07/2025
Abstract:
A magazine cover is an essential component of any publication,
serving as an attractive showcase that reects the identity, content
and character of the journal. e article at hand presents the results
of an exhaustive investigation into the covers dedicated to Donald
Trump by two iconic publications,
Time magazine
and
e New
Yorker
, spanning the period from his rst candidacy through his rst
term as President of the United States (June 2015 to January 2021). e
relevance of the study lies in its objectives and in the methodology
designed
ad hoc
in order to analyse the design and content of the
71 selected covers. e objectives are as follows: identify the style
(design analysis) and the substance (content/discourse analysis);
dene the informative and persuasive role of these covers; and lastly,
determine the construction of the gure of Donald Trump, identifying
the main characteristics of the discourse in the photographs and
illustrations, as well as the type of message they convey. e ndings
reveal an evolution of dominant themes, along with their connection
to current aairs, the type of discourse reected, and the ideological
positioning of the leading covers in the research.
Keywords:
Time magazine
;
e New Yorker
; Donald Trump; cover; graphic
design.
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 23
and personality of the magazine as well, which encourages the reader to buy the periodical by selecting it from a wide range
of oerings on the newsstand. Martín Aguado stated it clearly when he pointed out that the cover page is “the business card,
shop window, and showcase from which it tries to attract the attention of the reader, oering them the best of its content”
(Martín Aguado, 1992, p. 70). As Evans points out, the cover must express the potential, character, and inner content of the
magazine, and it also has to encourage readers to buy it, open it and read it (Evans, 1985). Along these lines, Zappaterra states
that the cover is “the rst and most important part of any publication in which the brand image and values associated with it
must be expressed” (Zappaterra, 2008, p. 29). White further points out that “this is a powerful lure that excites the curiosity and
attention of the reader” (White, 2017, p. 186).
In both newspapers and magazines, the front page or cover is an important feature. Moreover, its design oers information,
just like the text and images, yet it can also express an opinion, as it allows the reader to convey the medium’s attitude and
position on the news. erefore, the cover is a “rst-level informative feature that joins together a set of independent and
unrelated journalistic messages” (González Díez, 2014, p. 82).
Given the scenario, this article presents the results of an exhaustive investigation that explores the layout and content of the
covers dedicated to Donald Trump by the long-standing American magazines
Time
and
e New Yorker
, starting from his
pre-candidacy and continuing throughout his subsequent mandate as president of the United States; in other words, the time
period under study runs from June 2015, at which time the Republican Party launched his presidential pre-candidacy, until
January 2021, which marked the end of his term in oce. In the opinion of the authors, the relevance of this research lies both
in the objectives posed as well as the methodology that was designed
ad hoc
in order to carry out the content analysis of the
selected sample, which is composed of a 71 units of analysis (34 covers of
Time
magazine and 37 from
e New Yorker
), in
which Trump is the protagonist, either explicitly or implicitly.
As a starting point, the following research questions are posed:
– Q1. What moments in President Trump’s political career have been reected? What are the dominant issues?
– Q2. What image of President Trump is conveyed by the magazine covers of the sample? Is the spotlight shared? In what
terms do other personalities appear?
– Q3. What is the discourse that lies behind each cover selected? Do they have an informative, intentional/persuasive, or
satirical purpose?
To answer these questions, the rst objective was to identify the background (content/discourse analysis) of the selected
covers in order to unravel the message they intended to convey. e second was to establish the informative and persuasive
role of these covers from this analysis. Finally, the last aim was to determine the construction of the Trump gure through the
covers of these magazines, identifying the key features of the discourse through the photographs and illustrations used.
24 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
1.1. A brief look at Time, e New Yorker, and the image of Trump
Time
magazine is considered the most inuential magazine worldwide (Angeletti & Oliva, 2011), as well as an icon of American
journalism. Nowadays, this magazine is seen as a benchmark of traditional publications, which has managed to maintain its
prestige in a world dened by immediacy and digitisation (Campos, 2023). Evidence of this is shown by the fact that in March
of 2023, the magazine celebrated its centenary year with more than one million subscribers. e anniversary issue oered
readers an editorial letter signed by the magazine’s CEO, Jessica Sibley, and editor in chief, Edward Felsenthal, who noted that
in addition to being the largest print news publication in the United States, the simple fact of celebrating 100 years with more
than one million subscribers is a sign of perseverance and adaptation to change (Sibley & Felsenthal, 2023).
D. W. Pine, who is
Time
magazine’s creative director, has played a key role in this new way of telling stories. Over the past 25
years, he has designed more than 800 covers for the magazine, 34 of which have featured Donald Trump, although the latter
has never been chosen “Person of the Year”, nor is Trump the US president who has been featured most often on the cover of
Time
. Nixon holds the record with a total of 55 appearances.
e New Yorker
is a leading US weekly magazine that includes reporting, reviews, poetry, and ction, and is famous for its
illustrated covers, created by numerous authors, where humour merges with satire and irony to produce displays that can be
considered true works of art. Since its founding in 1925, it has remained at the forefront of public interest, with great inuence
not only in journalism but in literature as well. For many observers, much of its charm lies in a shrewd combination of graphic
and written materials (Barrera-Agarwal, 2008).
Along with other media outlets, these magazines have used visuals in various ways, including sketches and cartoons, in order
to depict Donald Trump’s career since he announced his presidential nomination. Several covers of
Time
magazine and
e
New Yorker
, which have featured either the president or issues regarding his presidency, have drawn national and international
media scrutiny and debate (Amaria, 2018; Cillizza, 2018; Ellis-Petersen, 2018; Kludt, 2018; May, 2018; Sampathkumar, 2018). In
addition, these covers have been widely shared on the magazines’ own social networks, where they have potentially been seen
by millions of people, even those who are not subscribers to these two magazines.
It is precisely in the area of political satire where several of
e New Yorker
’s historic illustrations are considered some of
the most brilliant in visual communication. In recent years, its political context is clear: the magazine has never hidden its
ideology related to war, nor its stance on civil liberties. As a result of such opposition, several exceptional covers have emerged
along with the publication of brilliant research articles, (Barrera-Agarwal, 2008).
Photographs and illustrations are tools for visually representing issues of social signicance. Moreover, in some ways photographs
function in a broad sense as illustrations, since photo images create meaning through the use of lters, framing, lighting, colour,
and strategic juxtaposition of images using computer programmes. Nevertheless, photographs and illustrations are stylistically
dierent. Photographs reect the physical reality in front of the camera lens, whereas illustrations are not subject to physical
limitations of the world. Instead, they reect a reality created by the illustrators themselves (Paul & Perreault, 2020).
One could say that illustration is a great way to communicate a concept, something that photography cannot always do. Many
artists have been inspired by the Trump administration, as his personality oers the opportunity to engage in caricature on
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 25
a daily basis and create material that draws on sarcasm and irony. Regarding this point, the aim of the professional artist is
to nd a connection between the various components upon which they draw, so that by combining them in a certain way
they make the cover visually attractive and exaggerate the issue that is intended to be criticised, ridiculed, or presented in the
image. In the words of illustrator André Carrilho, when satire writes itself, it is not dicult to understand why it becomes a tool
to ght against abuse. In this regard, images that are quickly understood and convey an opinion that can be easily adopted and
shared are a valuable commodity (Nevins, 2017).
Returning to the gure of Donald Trump, it is undeniable that his rst election victory has been addressed by international
analysts and narrated by various types of media companies. ese news outlets have shaped opinion to the point of transforming
his unexpected success (according to the predictions made during the election period) into an important historical event that
must be reported and interpreted, due to the fact that “any social fact that is discursive due to its relevance gains visibility in
the media, thus becoming part of the social memory, and can be considered an historical event” (Tfouni & Grigoletto, 2020).
Trump presents himself as an outsider capable of solving America’s problems, insisting on the idea that he is not an ordinary
politician, but someone who acts independently of all established economic and political powers, as he nanced his own
electoral campaign. As such, he displays himself as an anti-establishment personality who has nothing to do with the
bureaucrats in Washington, nor with the rest of the establishment (Mena, 2018, p. 48). is is why his main enemy has always
been the press, apart from his political opponents, as the former has been in charge of reporting his controversial statements.
It is likely that drawings related to the gure of this conservative candidate and the signicance of his election for politics,
economics and world relations have swollen the bank accounts of many illustrators. One of these artists is Edel Rodriguez,
who had the honour of signing two of
Time
magazine’s most unforgettable covers, each featuring the candidate’s melting face
at two key moments, before and after the 2016 election. At this point, Trump’s hair should be mentioned, as it has become
a fundamental and iconic feature of cover designs. Rodriguez himself states that he does not use a specic tool to illustrate
the hair. Instead, he simply draws a portrait that looks like the ex-president in a situation that reects his character. He also
considers that his hair is always a challenge because it has a twist, along with a strange shape and colour, which makes it
unique (Hilton, 2018).
With a conceptual and formal approach taken by the authors of this study toward the illustrated covers regarding the former
US president, the aim is to probe, interpret, and understand the projected image of the businessman-turned-politician who
represents the new right, as well as his values, ideology, and intentions. us, once the positions and arguments have been
claried, it is possible to denounce or use irony through the covers of the two publications, which in most cases are brought
to life through a lter of disapproval of the facts presented in each periodical. In this process of image construction and
identication, the magazines produce a discourse that seeks to challenge the hearts and minds of readers, placing them in a
specic position, which is that of identifying with the position they defend. By dening themselves as taking the moral high
ground, the covers oer the reader a positive image of the magazines themselves, and a negative view of Trump. us, the
expectation is for readers to position themselves on the side of the magazines and against Trump (Tfouni & Grigoletto, 2020).
26 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
1.2. A brief note on political communication and the media
As an initial approach, political communication can be dened as a eld that encompasses the interaction between political
actors, the media, and the public. is eld of study is concerned with the transmission and reception of political messages
and how they inuence public opinion and voter behaviour. According to Salomé Berrocal, political communication is the
process by which political actors use the media to inuence public opinion and electoral behaviour in order to achieve their
political objectives (Berrocal, 2001). María José Canel uses similar terms when she describes it as a set of techniques and
strategies used by political actors to inuence public opinion and electoral behaviour through media outlets (Canel, 2006),
which are becoming increasingly important in the eld of politics. In fact, as Fernández Obregón points out, “the media are
replacing political parties and becoming the creators of messages” (2015, p. 284). According to this author, it is the media
themselves who “set the agenda, and the political parties are forced to follow in their wake. Consequently, traditional party
activity is being devoured by the media for the latter’s own benet. Rallies, propaganda, and conventional proselytising are
now only part of a rapidly declining liturgy” (Fernández Obregón, 2015, p. 284).
Donofrío and Rubio-Moragas go one step further, stating that the media are the ones who inuence the vote, and are “also the
ones in charge of distracting citizens and constructing a ctitious reality, in which democracy ends up being identied with
televoting
” (Donofrío & Rubio-Moragas, 2019, p. 115). Krugman goes even further when he asserts that these media represent
“weapons of mass distraction” (Krugman, 2007, p. 193).
More specically, Donofrío and Rubio-Moragas are the scholars who have highlighted an issue that is clearly related to
the present article: along with the mediatisation of politics that is currently prevalent, an additional phenomenon is also
occurring, which is the growing prominence of the image in the media. For these authors, “image prevails over content: it
is not so important what is said, but how it is said” (Donofrío & Rubio-Moragas, 2019, p. 115). Furthermore, this is where
magazine covers play an essential role in constructing the image of politicians, because as Castells points out, “power and
politics are decided in the process of constructing the human mind through communication”. In today’s society, the mass
media are decisive in shaping public opinion which, in turn, inuences political decisions (Castells, 2008, p. 1). For this reason,
media outlets play a key role in the process by acting as intermediaries between politicians and the public. rough the media,
political messages are disseminated and magnied, thereby reaching a massive audience.
In this context, magazine covers are a powerful tool for constructing any politician’s image, as they not only capture the reader’s
attention, but they also convey visual and symbolic messages that can inuence the public’s perception of a politician. ey also
increase politicians’ visibility, making their image easily recognizable to the audience. By repeatedly placing a politician’s image
on magazine covers, their presence is reinforced in the minds of voters. e covers can reect the gure’s ideological position
and highlight their values and proposals. is helps voters identify and associate the candidate with certain ideas and principles.
In addition, the images on the covers can evoke emotions and feelings in readers, which can inuence their perception of the
person depicted. e covers tell a visual story about the individual by using elements such as photography, graphic design, and
headlines. is visual narrative can either reinforce the image of the politician as a strong, charismatic, and trustworthy leader,
or detract from it by portraying them as weak, incompetent, and manipulative.
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Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 27
2. Methodology and sample
e study at hand involves longitudinal research with a predominantly qualitative approach, complemented by basic numerical
data that serve to contextualise and support certain observations. is paper analyses the covers of the US magazines
Time
and
e New Yorker
, which featured Donald Trump between June 2015, when the Republican Party launched his presidential
candidacy, and January 2021, which marked the end of his term in oce. e methodology focuses on analysing the visual
and textual components of the covers, in order to identify the features that inuence the construction of the discourse and the
message conveyed.
Firstly, the sample was selected. It consisted of covers featuring the US politician in the aforementioned period, both in the
centenary magazine
Time
and in the weekly magazine
e New Yorker
, which also celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2025.
To locate the covers, the digital archive of each publication was consulted. Moreover, the search was based on an observational
analysis of all the issues published between June 2015 and January 2021. As a total of 34 covers were found in
Time
magazine
and 37 in
e New Yorker
, the nal sample consisted of 71 units. Excluded from the selection were covers in which Trump’s
name appears in some way, an example of which is a headline, yet the underlying theme is far dierent from Trump himself.
Secondly, once the covers had been compiled, a content analysis was carried out for each of them. For this purpose, an ad hoc
coding sheet was designed, composed of 20 variables. e rst block includes information related to the identication of each
issue analysed: case number (V1), name of the journal (V2), date of publication (V3), and the cover illustrator (V4).
With the next two variables, the image was addressed. V5 classies the image by type, in which the categories considered are
as follows: illustration, photography, photomontage, and the infographics or typography used with iconic value.
V6 identies the typology of the cover using three categories: realistic, abstract, or typographic. e covers are considered
realistic if they feature a face or gure with human characteristics. is is one of the most common categories, and it is possible
to increase interest by changing the facial expression, an example of which is changing a smile to anger, fear, or excitement.
e degree of expression of these feelings depends on the level of collaboration with the reader. Wit and humour are strong
enticements, and if a moving gure is also depicted, it invites the reader to join in the fun (Caldwell & Zapaterra, 2014). Abstract
covers are conceptual, using illustrations, photographs and photomontages that try to communicate complex concepts quickly
and directly. eir success is dicult to achieve, and there is a danger that they might not convey their intended message.
ese are mostly found in the specialised press or newspaper inserts that can aord the luxury of having hardly any headlines.
is approach can result in a cover that is more original (Caldwell & Zapaterra, 2014). Abstract covers are less common and
depend on their sales in small shops. Designers have more freedom to decide how these are created. ey can be found in
thematic magazines, inserts, and subscription publications. Sometimes it is possible to nd abstract covers in photography
magazines or publications that specialise in design. e nal category is typographic covers, which are based on text, yet they
are rare in contemporary periodicals.
Variable V7 involves a thematic classication of the covers based on the period to which they belong, including the rst
electoral campaign, election as president, term in oce, second electoral campaign, and the end of his term in oce. e
variable V8 registers the most recurring themes during Donald Trump’s mandate, including social rights, impeachment, war,
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
health, international aairs, and whether Trump is mentioned simply because of his position as an important gure, or for
another more specic reason.
e next set of variables, V9 through V13, collects information regarding the main gure on the cover and other possible
concomitant personalities. e aim is to determine whether Trump appears alone or is accompanied by other gures, either
political or otherwise. Variable V9 registers the number of individuals present on the cover. V10 identies the main gure,
with sub-variables detailing information about the individual, such as gender, type of character (real, ctional, or irrelevant),
profession, and other pertinent data for identication. V11 is an open-ended variable in which the name of the secondary
character, if applicable, is provided. V12 determines whether other relevant characters are present, and V13 analyses whether
it is possible to identify any object or gure that assumes a prominent role.
e next group, from V14 through V19, analyses the portrayal of Trump through the implicit message conveyed by the image
on the cover. e aim is to determine the depiction of the character and the relationship between the narrative context and
current events. e goal is to identify whether the gure of Trump is presented explicitly or implicitly, and to examine the
features that emerge from his portrayal and those that accompany him. In short, it is a question of assessing whether the
construction of the protagonist is positive, negative, or neutral.
To this end, the purpose of the cover is identied in V14, dening the following categories: opinionated, which implies an
editorial approach with possible satirical components, or a space for the expression of ideas; informative, which relates an
event in an objective manner and oers social vigilance; and interpretative, which narrates a current event, yet oers an
interpretation or fulls a clarifying role. is classication follows the methodology proposed by Melo & Assis (2016).
V15 analyses the approach taken in dealing with the main issue on the cover, classifying it as a literal or conceptual tactic,
where appropriate.
Variable 16 seeks to identify, insofar as the data allow, the way in which readers receive the content from the front cover, in an
attempt to approach the construction of its social discourse. By using the categories established by Gómez-García, et al. (2019),
the aim is to determine whether the cover caters to certain interests, such as the following: informative (provides information
about Trump’s activities in his political career); intentional/persuasive (seeks to oer an assessment of the political leader);
testimonial/escapist (includes speeches not linked to reality that propose an unreal or merely viral construction; and satirical
(highlights emotional features with the aim of introducing irony)
1
.
V17 assesses the rating that the cover as a whole gives to Trump, oering the category options of positive, negative, or neutral.
Along the same lines, V18 analyses the terms in which other gures are presented, but in relation to Trump, in this case; in
other words, whether they are presented as allies, adversaries, or in a neutral way.
1
In the taxonomy proposed by the aforementioned article, the present paper includes a fth category known as “circumstantial”. However, it has not been included
in this research due to the fact that it was not represented in the sample.
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 29
While providing data of only slight relevance to the sample, V19 records whether other topics are displayed on the cover.
Moreover, this variable determines whether these themes are related to the main topic and Trump, are independent, or if there
are other topics that are not addressed.
Finally, V20 is devoted to observation. is is a free-text variable that allows for the gathering of any details of interest that are
not addressed by the variables previously mentioned and dened.
Each cover was analysed independently by three coders between January and February of 2023. In order to achieve inter-coder
reliability and ensure criterion reliability, a random sub-sample of 50% of the main sample was chosen, achieving a 95% level
of agreement.
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July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Figure 1. Covers of
e New Yorker
featuring Trump between 2015 and 2021
Source:
e New Yorker
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 31
Figure 2. Covers of
Time
magazine that feature Trump between 2015 and 2021
Source:
Time
magazine
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|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Figure 3. Data sheet with variables and categories designed
ad hoc
for the research
Source: prepared by the authors
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Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
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| 33
3. Results
e results obtained from this study have been grouped into three levels, which include one for each of the research questions
initially posed. e rst is based on the time period and the thematic issues featured on the cover; the second involves the
personalities that appear on the covers and their prominence; and the third addresses the focus of the discourse, or why
Trump appears, and what intention lies behind each cover.
3.1. Time period and thematic issues
Identication of the issues and events that are featured on the covers in the selected period show a wide variety of issues.
However, in order to analyse and understand them, it was necessary to rst place their publication at a specic time in relation
to the chronology of Trump’s career. To do so, the period covered by the analysis sample (27 July 2015 to 15 January 2021) has
been segmented into four time periods:
A) e rst election campaign, from the nomination by his party to his election as president on 8 November 2016, covering
a period of one year and three months. A total of fourteen covers were analysed from 27 July 2015 until 16 October 2016.
B) e period as president-elect, from his victory in the elections to his ocial swearing-in. is stage consisted of two
months, yielding ve covers.
C) His term in oce and the second election campaign are spread over three years and eleven months, from 21 January
2017 to 3 November 2020. e largest number of covers analysed were found during this period, with a total of 49.
D) e nal stage of his term in oce, which is the period following Trump’s election defeat. It covers two months from 4
November 2020 until the appearance of the nal magazine cover on 15 January 2021, although his term of oce closed
on 20 January. e last three covers analysed were from this period.
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Graph 1. Time period classication of the covers of each magazine
Source: prepared by the authors
A comparison of each magazine shows an even distribution, with the exception of the closing of the term in oce, when
Time
does not have a single cover.
e New Yorker
was the rst of the two magazines to devote a cover story to Trump, which was published in July of 2015, just
over a month after he was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. On that cover, Trump dives into a swimming
pool while several Republican presidential candidates ee in dierent directions.
Time
did the same a month later, at which
time its cover was already indicating that Trump would be an issue to confront (“Deal with it”).
is rst period is characterised by a series of covers in which Trump is presented through the eyes of others and through his
own actions: people on the run; former US presidents terried by his image on television; Trump dividing the party by carving
an elephant in half; a description of the candidate as a bully, showman, party crasher and demagogue, or prophesying his
victory by sitting in the Oval Oce and placing a plaque announcing that he is already president. e most objective cover
belongs to
Time
, which argues that Trump has won the election within his party, and “now he just needs votes” to become
President of the United States. At this stage, both magazines devote some covers to the crisis during Trump’s rst campaign,
showing him standing in the rain or with a melting face.
is period is followed by two months when Trump still has not been sworn-in as president, yet he holds the title of president-
elect after winning the election. During this period, the magazine covers announce that Trump will be the President of the
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 35
United States.
Time
does so objectively, featuring photographs of Trump, including one in which he appears on the front cover
as Person of the Year, while
e New Yorker
uses a more ironic tone, depicting a wall hiding the entire cover, or showing the
president-elect at the wheel of a coin-operated car for a child audience escorted by his bodyguards, both of which are symbols
of what Trump represents for the United States.
As might be expected, the main block of the sample is distributed over the four years of his term in oce, although it is
true that for much of this period, from October 2018 onward, Trump was already in the initial stages of his second election
campaign. During this period, both magazines are nearly on par with regard to covers that address the gure of Trump, along
with the actions he takes in the face of certain events, such as the second election campaign. Any dierences between the two
magazines during this period can only be seen in one issue.
Finally,
e New Yorker
devotes three covers to the closing days of Trump’s presidency, at which time Joe Biden has already
been elected as the next president. e purposes of these covers are very clear: the rst is about COVID-19, the second
addresses the assault on the Capitol building, and the third is about Trump’s heralded departure from the presidency. On
the other hand, although
Time
does not dedicate any cover to him whatsoever during this period, the magazine had certainly
foretold Trump’s ousting from the White House on its last cover, which had appeared nearly three months before he lost the
election in November of 2020.
Although the publication dates of the two magazines coincided on nine occasions, they did not always address the same topic.
Nevertheless, two of the covers address the same issue. On the covers from August 22, 2016, both magazines show the crisis
of the rst election campaign with similar metaphors. By contrast, the second cover on 22 May 2017 tells the story of James
Comey’s dismissal. In this case,
e New Yorker
takes a critical tone, portraying Trump as the captain of an airplane who orders
the removal of an annoying passenger, while the rest of the occupants watch from their seats without giving it much thought.
is direct and ironic portrayal contrasts with the cover of
Time
, which opts for a more distant portrayal, showing Trump from
behind, as if he had no direct link with the dismissal. In fact, we would not even know what the cover was referring to without
the additional information provided by the text, which is located to the left of the image, as there is almost no indication of a
connection between the text and the image.
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
Figure 4. Covers that coincide regarding time frames and subject matter
Source:
Time
and
e New Yorker
e fact is, the two magazines also share topics, although at dierent time periods, such as the relationship between Trump’s
victory and Putin’s Russian interference in the presidential elections, for which both publications use the gure of the Russian
president, but with more than a year’s dierence.
Moreover, although the two periodicals do not always cover the same news stories related to his time in oce, nor to his
campaign events, three main categories can be established that address the topics that appear on their covers, although some
of them could be classied in more than one category:
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a) Covers that feature Trump due to his popularity and relevance as a gure, and that portray him according to his selection
as the party’s candidate, his nomination as president, his election as “Person of the Year”, and the anniversary of his term in
oce; or they simply portray him at dierent moments of his term in oce, which are not directly related to any specic event,
but which testify to his histrionic personality and seek to highlight his striking and prominent personage in the political and
media sphere.
b) Covers that make direct reference to election campaigns. ese are more common during the second election campaign,
although there are covers from the beginning as well, in which the question of whether or not Trump will be elected in the ght
for the presidency against his opponent is discussed.
c) Covers that deal with issues that are especially relevant, which generally appeared during his mandate, such as social rights
with a strong emphasis on immigration and COVID-19, the internal crisis of his party, the impeachment process, and other
issues associated with specic moments of his presidency.
Graph 2. ematic distribution of the covers analysed
Source: prepared by the authors
e number of magazine covers that are dedicated to Trump simply because of who he is noteworthy (n23). It bears mentioning
that these covers deal with Trump without associating him with a specic event or topic beyond his gure as a future or current
president.
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|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
In terms of thematic distribution, there are no major dierences between the two magazines, although
e New Yorker
devotes
more covers to Trump simply for holding the highest oce in the country. ese covers portray an inexperienced president,
his bad relationship with the press, and the widespread fear he arouses among a certain percentage of the population. On the
other hand,
Time
magazine distributes its covers between this category and those that are directly related to specic events,
especially the crisis within the government.
Nevertheless, there are three topics that have been of great interest to both magazines yet approached from dierent
perspectives:
e rst is Trump’s impeachment, which resulted from a political crisis due to his constant display of disobedience both within
and outside his party. is issue is one of the main topics in both magazines, with covers ranging from the rst rifts within the
government in February of 2017 to the end of Trump’s term in oce.
In fact, we nd a collection of four covers that begin with Trump sitting in the Oval Oce with a storm brewing, while the
headline reads, “Nothing to See Here”, referring to the overturn of an executive order banning certain immigrants from entering
the country, which occurred at the same time as the rst information leak regarding the Russian intervention in the elections
(Phillip, 16/02/2017).
is sequence concludes with the nal cover of this research sample, in which we see a storm-ravaged Trump outside the
White House, surrounded by a multitude of live COVID-19 viruses, alluding to how the pandemic changed not only how
people vote, but also why they vote, and how his policy decisions and the crisis within his own administration led to his failure
to be re-elected (Molly, 06/08/2020).
e other two recurring themes are the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of social rights resulting from Trump’s policies.
Although to a lesser extent, immigration and the
Black Lives Matter
movement are addressed as well, despite the fact that all of
these topics are somehow integrated into the covers that allude to the crisis within Trump’s government.
Nevertheless, as noted above, although both publications deal with the same issues repeatedly, they do so in dierent ways,
each with its own distinctive style, and sometimes with dierent objectives, as will be detailed in the following sections.
3.2. Personalities
3.2.1.
Trump as sole protagonist, or accompanied
In terms of personalities, an analysis of the covers has been carried out to determine who shares the spotlight with Donald
Trump. e question initially posed was not whether or not Trump is the protagonist of the magazine covers, but with whom
he shares the limelight and in what terms.
Clearly, as Donald Trump is the central gure in the sample, he is positioned as the only protagonist. However, the dierence
between the number of covers on which he appears alone, and those on which he is accompanied by other gures, varies
according to each magazine, as seen in Graph 3.
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
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| 39
Graph 3. e protagonists on the magazine covers
Source: prepared by the authors
Both
e New Yorker
and
Time
prefer depicting Trump as the sole gure, which is the case in 40 of the 71 covers analysed.
At times, Trump’s depiction is obvious, even when he is not portrayed in a realistic or gurative manner. However, there
are covers in which his presence cannot be discerned until reading the explanation provided by the magazine itself on the
inside pages, due to only part of the character being shown, which is often not signicant or recognisable (
e New Yorker
,
28/03/2016;
e New Yorker
, 12/10/2020).
Undoubtedly, Trump is the protagonist or co-protagonist in most of the remaining covers, even those in which his gure
is not directly portrayed, but in which his name appears on the cover or objects are displayed that refer to his personage.
For example, on the three covers of
e New Yorker
that do not feature any gure, the emphasis is on objects that symbolise
something related to the personality or actions of this politician: a brick wall that nearly hides the masthead, the hand of the
Statue of Liberty holding a smoking torch after the ame has been extinguished, and the American ag at half-mast.
With all this data, it can be armed that Trump is clearly the main character in 66 of the 71 magazine covers analysed. e
question is, who accompanies him on these covers, and who steals the spotlight from him on the others.
40 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
3.2.2.
Who accompanies Trump?
ere are no specic gures who consistently accompany Trump on the covers. e only ones who appear on more than one
occasion are Hillary Clinton, to whom a cover is dedicated exclusively to her, and one of the few in which Trump appears
indirectly as a political opponent in the ght for the country’s presidency, almost as if the reader were Trump. e other is
Vladimir Putin, in reference to the Russian intervention in the elections. Each of these two gures has appeared on the cover
of
Time
, and twice on the cover of
e New Yorker
, and on one of these occasions they co-star with Trump (31/10/2016). On
this particular cover, Hillary is accompanied by her husband, former president Bill Clinton, who is a supportive gure in her
swearing-in, while Putin represents a supportive gure for Trump in the same situation.
In fact, these two personalities manage to steal the spotlight from Trump, which happens only on ve occasions, all in
e
New Yorker
magazine. e covers in question are dedicated to Kanye West, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, James Comey with
Je Sessions, and Robert Mueller. e last three are directly related to each other, as they address the Russian plot in the US
elections, with Trump as an essential ancillary gure.
Figure 5. Covers in which the spotlight is stolen from Trump
Source:
e New Yorker
Other recognisable characters on the covers of
e New Yorker
include the aforementioned Bill Clinton (alongside Hillary and
Putin), Michael Flynn, Lindsey Graham, William Barr, Mitch McConnell, Rudy Giuliani, a depiction of Uncle Sam, ve former
US presidents (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, eodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy),
other presidential candidates, and even some of Trump’s relatives. All these characters are part of the discourse, either as
co-protagonists or as secondary gures. eir personages on the cover are necessary in order to explain the message to be
conveyed.
In
Time
magazine, this occurs on only six occasions, featuring the following gures: Hillary Clinton; Kim Jong-un; Vladimir
Putin (this one in a dierent way, as he is not a character in his own right, but merged with Trump in a type of morphing); Yana,
the Honduran girl who was photographed at the US border (a photograph that won the World Press Photo in 2019, which
Time
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used to create a satirical montage by showing Trump looking at little Yana with no emotion); and Nancy Pelosi, together with
the group of congressmen who watch Trump from the window of the Oval Oce, anxiously awaiting his next move.
ere are other companions present, and although they are well-known personalities, they are not given any importance.
For example, Mike Pence appears on one of
Time
’s covers, yet his presence is rather anecdotal, as he is only at the president’s
side during the presidential speech on election night (his presence does not alter the message: Donald Trump is already the
president-elect). is photograph was taken by Chelsea Matiash for
Time
magazine. In this case, the importance of Pence is
less than that of other faceless characters accompanying the president, due to the fact that on these occasions the inclusion of
other characters provides a necessary context for the message, such as the NFL player who knocks Trump down (as if he is a
roly-poly toy), or the citizens in Halloween costumes who are frightened by the sight of Trump’s arrival.
It also bears mentioning the presence of other characters on the covers whose faces are not recognisable, such as bodyguards,
policemen, and passengers on a plane commandeered by Trump. Even in
e New Yorker
, dogs, vermin and the bald eagle of
the United States can be seen, although they are not considered characters who share the limelight with Trump, although their
presence is relevant to the message being sent.
e key to each portrayal lies in whether they appear as Trump’s allies or enemies on the covers, regardless of their stance
in real life. Not surprisingly, his allies include those who support the president, members of the Republican Party, and the
politicians mentioned above. ey also include gures such as Putin, Kim Jong-un, and even Hillary Clinton on one of
Time
’s
covers, where she joins Trump in announcing the end of the election. ese “allies” are often well-known personalities with
rst and last names who portray themselves.
On the other hand, the president’s “enemies” also appear, who often are well-known gures representing themselves, such as
Hillary Clinton (now in the opposition), or Nancy Pelosi. However, they also include people like Yana, who symbolise those
who oppose Trump’s immigration policies, or the NFL player protesting the president’s stance on the Black Lives Matter
movement. is group includes the portrayal of the American people or specic sectors, such as former presidents who are
horried in front of a television screen showing Trump operating on a stranger while a group of doctors and nurses look on, or
Uncle Sam with his feet in cement being thrown into the sea by Trump and Rudy Giuliani, or the bald eagle carrying o Trump
while he is still the president. ere are surprises as well, such as when other candidates ee Trump’s arrival at the swimming
pool, frightened congressmen watching the president through a window, or fellow party members who do not generally agree
with Trump’s policies in their entirety, as depicted by the elephant being sawed in half by Trump dressed as a magician, and
even specic, recognisable characters (
e New Yorker
, 18/12/2017;
e New Yorker
, 03/06/2019).
Finally, the absence of Joe Biden from the covers dedicated to Trump is worth noting. Although some covers feature the current
leader, President Joe Biden, especially since 15 April 2019, just days before the ocial announcement of his candidacy for the
Democratic Party primaries, these images are disassociated from the ex-president with no reference to Trump whatsoever. In
fact, the former president is not even mentioned in passing.
42 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
3.3. Focus of the discourse: How is Trump portrayed as the protagonist?
3.3.1.
Similar topics but with a style and purpose of their own
e distinctive features of each magazine determine certain unique aspects on the cover. In this regard, on several occasions
the style in which the gures are represented, and the objects chosen for each type of message play a fundamental role.
Specically,
e New Yorker
distinguishes itself by using illustrations on all its covers, which are dened by their realistic style.
Even in cases where the portrayal diverges slightly from realism, the object depicted is clearly identiable, which brings them
closer to the gurative rather than abstract category.
Along the same lines, it can be observed that
Time
magazine also shows a clear preference for covers with a realistic style.
However, it does so in a dierent way. Among the
Time
covers, fteen are based on illustrations, nine on photographs, and nine
on photomontages that combine not only photographs, but photography and illustration as well, or photography and text. It is
benecial to examine the relationship between the dierent styles and the subject matter of each cover.
In the case of the covers dedicated to Trump as a political gure, seven of the nine are photographic. is indicates that in
order to address this issue, which requires presenting information in an objective manner while trying to avoid subjective
assessments, photography is a more eective medium, as evidenced by the diusion of his victory in both the primaries and
the presidential elections.
Satire and expression of opinion are reserved for illustrations and photographic collages. However,
Time
magazine occasionally
presents a less gurative style, even approaching an abstract or metaphorical depiction of the subjects addressed on some of
its covers.
3.3.2.
The non-figurative portrayal of Trump
As some of the covers have already been mentioned, reference should be made to another identied category, which mainly
concerns gurative covers in which Trump is identied, but not his personage as such. is occurs exclusively in
Time
magazine. e president is turned into a roly-poly toy (mentioned above), a at melting face (in two separate covers that
continue with the same idea), a torso whose hair is ablaze with re, a wrecking ball, and a peach. With the exception of the rst,
which has a realistic tone as a photomontage with the NFL player mentioned above, the rest are gurative covers in which the
protagonist is clearly Trump, in spite of how far removed the portrayal is from the human gure. All these covers are the work
of Edel Rodriguez, and in all of them Trump is screaming. In fact, the illustrator, who was the magazine’s art director from 1994
to 2008 (Ro, 4/4/2021), has eight covers among the sample analysed (seven of them in
Time
), and in all of them Trump shouts
at the reader, whether or not he is de-anthropomorphised.
Although it was not part of the editorial units analysed, in April of 2023 Rodriguez dedicated another cover to Trump, this time
depicted by a ngerprint (referring to the police record after his arrest), with the same orange tone the artist had used for him
on previous occasions with his usual open mouth, showing his teeth, and shouting.
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Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
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Figure 6.
Cover of
Time
magazine
Source:
Time
magazine (24 April 2023)
A similar style is used on the covers of
e New Yorker
that feature the gure of Trump decontextualized, even when he is not
the main character. For example, in one he appears as a buttery who is being watched by Putin, and in another he becomes
a tobacco pipe which Robert Mueller smokes in imitation of the Sherlock Holmes character. Moreover, although it is a more
realistic gurative portrayal, we also see Trump as a magician sawing an elephant in half (a reference to his own party), a
beauty queen with a Miss Congeniality sash and holding a bouquet of owers, the pilot of the plane from which James Comey
is pulled out, and a clown hiding in a forest, among others. However, Trump is easily recognisable in all of these cases. On just
two occasions do we see only one arm. One time he is feeding a dog, and the other time the palm of his hand is full of phrases,
as if someone had been reading his future, yet later we see that Donald Trump has been reading the magazine itself.
All of this reinforces the idea that certain styles are more suited to conveying a specic type of message. us, any informative
communication takes on an opinionated or interpretative nature and, in the worst case, this is accomplished through satire by
means of illustrations in
e New Yorker
. For example, the rst cover of Trump after he becomes president-elect of the United
States shows a brick wall shrouding the entire front page of the magazine, and the last cover depicts an American bald eagle
44 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
angrily carrying Trump away, making it clear that he is no longer the president of the United States. However, it cannot be
armed that this relationship between the type of cover and the message to be conveyed is consistent.
In some cases, aspects such as the colours employed, typography used, and whether or not the image extends to the edges
of the page, are the artist’s own decision. Even if the magazine chooses a specic illustrator or photographer, considerable
freedom is allowed, even in the choice of the topic to be addressed. erefore, in many cases the decision depends mostly on
the artist and the style of their work.
3.3.3.
Tone and purpose of the covers
A comparison between the two magazines, especially when they deal with the same topic, shows that
e New Yorker
generally
uses a more realistic style in its illustrations, yet adopts a more conceptual tone in its messages. For example, covers such as
the one showing a wall that shrouds nearly the entire magazine cover suggests that Trump has been elected president of the
United States, and the one depicting the torch of the Statue of Liberty extinguished at the beginning of his mandate symbolises
the end of the open arm welcome to immigrants arriving in New York by ship. ese are joined by another cover showing a
ag at half-mast after the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters following his call for insurrection. ese covers require
reading the explanatory text inside the magazine to fully understand their meaning. For the most part, they convey satirical
messages that try to ridicule Trump.
Although
Time
uses satire on some of its covers as well, especially those with abstract depictions such as illustrations by
Edel Rodriguez, or Nancy Burson’s work that merges Putin and Trump into one person, these are self-explanatory due to the
simplicity and conciseness of their message, the timing of their publication, and the headlines that accompany the images.
Time
oers not only informative magazine covers that convey literal messages through photographs, but also covers that seek to
persuade the reader through interpretation of the subject matter. ese include photomontages containing double meanings,
such as the image of Hillary and Trump holding a sign saying, “e End is Near”, which announces both the closeness of the
election and the end of the election campaign, insinuating that no matter who wins, the end is near.
Considering all the foregoing, by conducting a more detailed analysis of the messages, a classication of the covers based on
their purpose can be established. Based on the taxonomy proposed by Melo and Assis (2016), three of the ve categories dened
by these authors have been identied among the covers analysed: opinionated, which corresponds to satire; interpretative,
which includes intentional and persuasive covers; and informative.
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Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
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Graph 4. Purpose of the covers
Source: prepared by the authors
It is important to note that the informative category is not present in
e New Yorker
, due to the fact that through its covers
it tries to persuade the viewer to form an opinion based on the interpretation that the magazine has given to a specic piece
of information (n19). e magazine goes even further by oering its own opinions, which are categorised as satirical (n18),
leaving objectivity aside; it should be recalled that these magazines have a high percentage of editorial content.
In
Time
, there is also a higher number of interpretative covers (n18). However, in the second position are those of an informative
nature with a more neutral tone, in which objective information is provided, with little or no interpretation (n14). is approach
is applied to several of the covers featuring photographs, as described in the following section.
3.3.4.
Messages communicated through the figure of Trump
From this perspective, following the classication proposed by Gómez-García et al. (2019), it is possible to observe the
approach that both publications take toward the gure of Trump on their covers. ese data dier slightly depending on the
purpose of each cover, as they focus exclusively on the graphic depiction of Trump as opposed to the message itself.
It is true that a satirical purpose of the cover usually entails a negative portrayal of the personality in question, which is also
frequent in intentional or persuasive covers, making the position of both magazines clear with regard to Donald Trump.
However, informative covers tend to oer a more neutral depiction of him.
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
A prominent example of a negative tone is the cover of
e New Yorker
on 23 May 2016, which shows Trump as a magician
sawing the Republican elephant in half, symbolising the divisions within his party. Conversely, on the cover of
Time
on 12
December 2016, in which he appears as “Person of the Year”, the magazine takes a positive tone by highlighting his inuence
on the political landscape without making specic judgements. By contrast, a neutral cover from
Time
can be seen on 30
January 2017, which uses a photograph of Trump during his inauguration without adding graphic elements that could alter
the way it is perceived.
e presence of polarisation in the way Trump is portrayed cannot be conrmed, as the clear preference is for a negative view
in which the former president borders on the absurd, or is displayed as someone lacking any sign of emotion, in which his
actions or the comments made about him on the magazine cover do not put him in a good light.
Certainly, a positive portrayal has no place on the covers of
e New Yorker
, where the gure of Trump is shown from a negative
perspective in nearly all the samples presented. In cases in which a negative view cannot be stated, it is more of a neutral
depiction in which the president is neither good nor bad. For example, the cover with Trump standing in the rain with hair
covering his face bears mentioning, which refers to a crisis during the rst election campaign, yet the image of the president
cannot be considered negative.
Contrary to the above,
Time
magazine’s visual representation exhibits greater diversity in this regard, which can be attributed to
the inclusion of photographic covers. Covers that feature illustrations and photomontages often convey a negative perception
of Trump. Two examples can be seen in the collages from July and October of 2018. In one, Trump displays an impassive gaze
toward Yana, and in the other, he turns his back on part of his electorate. Another case is an illustration from January 2019. In
the drawing, faced with Nancy Pelosi’s request for Trump to appear in court based on a judicial order, he responds with Twitter
messages launched from a slingshot, evoking the image of a small child.
In this magazine, neutral portrayals of the president are identied by the three types of covers mentioned above, in which
Trump appears with a neutral gesture, or with his back turned to the viewer.
Nevertheless, in contrast to
e New Yorker
, there are several
Time
covers in which Trump’s image is portrayed in a positive
light, again through photographs. Examples include the cover portraying him as his party’s chosen candidate; as the winner
of the presidential election; the cover in which he is named Person of the Year; and the July 2019 cover showing him leaning
on the Oval Oce table, and right next to him is a text quoting the president as saying, “My whole life is a bet”, which could be
interpreted as implying a risky type of governance, yet it does not convey a negative image of the president, nor even neutral,
but rather one that is pleasant.
e prevalence of a negative tone on the covers of both magazines reects a critical narrative that could inuence the public
perception of Trump, thereby reinforcing his image as a controversial and polarising gure. By contrast, the few covers with
a positive tone seem to be linked to moments of political success, including winning the presidential election, for example,
which suggests a tendency to highlight exceptional rather than mundane events.
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Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
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4. Discussion and Conclusions
In this study, we have carried out a content analysis of all the covers featuring Donald Trump in
Time
magazine and
e New
Yorker
during his rst candidacy, and throughout his rst term in oce. e ndings allow us to clearly arm that the media
portrayal of his personality oers a rich variety of approaches and messages, ranging from depictions that are fairly neutral, to
overwhelmingly visual criticism.
e construction of Donald Trump’s gure on the covers analysed often relies on apocalyptic, visual rhetoric, which serves
to criticise his presidency and portray the dominant political climate during his time in oce. is focus implies a disastrous
political, economic, and social context, which evokes an emotional response from the reader. e illustrations featured on
these covers usually describe Trump by using various symbolic depictions, such as an insurgent or demagogue, thereby
reecting the collective anxiety, social fear, and political tension during the 2016 campaign and his subsequent term in oce.
Moreover, he is also frequently depicted as a traitor, a bully, and even a clown, which emphasises his eccentricity and populism.
e covers convey these messages by using visual and metaphorical portrayals that match viewers’ perceptions of his political
actions. e illustrations on the covers frequently use humour and satire, exaggerating some of the politician’s features, or
showing absurd or ridiculous scenarios, and they do so to criticise both Trump as a person and his policies as well, thereby
inuencing public opinion.
At times, Trump is portrayed as a cultural icon, often compared to historical gures associated with extremism. e discourse
used by both magazines frequently positions Trump as a far-right gure, even drawing parallels with historical tyrants,
which reinforces negative perceptions of his leadership style and reects the ideological stance of these publications. In this
discourse, we also nd visual metaphors and symbols that portray him as a puppet, an enraged rebel, or the embodiment of
extreme ideologies, which can evoke strong emotional responses in the audience. On several covers, Trump is even depicted
wearing masks or costumes, symbolising deception or two-faced leadership. On others, we see storms and natural disasters
as metaphors representing the turbulence and impact of his policies, suggesting instability and conict. On still others we see
re, which is used as a symbol of chaos and crisis to reect moments of high tension during his presidency.
e covers frequently show the US politician in ridiculous or exaggerated situations, such as displaying him as a clown or
a capricious child, in order to highlight his behaviour and political decisions. On several occasions, Trump has also been
portrayed as an animal, such as a bull in a china shop, symbolising his disruptive and destructive nature.
Some covers create dystopian scenarios to criticise the consequences of his policies, using sombre, futuristic images to convey
a message of alert and warning. Visual elements such as colour and typeface are used strategically to emphasise key issues,
thereby enhancing the emotional impact of both the illustrations and photographs. ese visual metaphors not only capture
the essence of specic events and the politician’s behaviour, but also allow readers to interpret and reect on Trump’s impact
from dierent points of view.
On the other hand, the visual rhetoric on the covers of
Time
and
e New Yorker
not only capture events and political gures,
but also reect and respond to the political and social climate of each period by using powerful and symbolic images to
transmit complex and boisterous messages. For example, during the election campaign of 2015-2016, the covers of
Time
often
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nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
reected the controversy and polarisation fomented by Trump. Images of the politician in situations of tension or conict
depicted political uncertainty. e magazine’s visual strategy involved the use of more direct and symbolic images. For its part,
e New Yorker
used caricature and satire to ridicule Trump, criticising his promises and his behaviour, and emphasising the
disbelief and scepticism toward his candidacy.
During the rst years of his presidency (2017-2018), the covers of
Time
focused on the initial challenges faced by his
administration, such as immigration policy and investigations into Russian interference.
e New Yorker
continued with its
satirical approach, depicting Trump in absurd situations in order to criticise his decisions and policies, conveying resistance
and political opposition. In the nal years of his presidency (2019-2021), the images of Trump oered by
Time
portrayed him
as being isolated and under pressure, visually depicting him as poitically eroded. During this time,
e New Yorker
intensied
its criticism by using dystopian scenarios and darker caricatures to reect concerns about the future of the country under his
leadership.
In terms of social context, the covers reect the impact of movements such as Black Lives Matter
and the protests against police
brutality. For example,
e New Yorker
uses illustrations to highlight Trump’s detachment from social demands, portraying
him as indierent and antagonistic toward progressive movements. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the covers of
Time
showed Trump in scenarios of the health crisis, using metaphors of illness and chaos to criticise his handling of the pandemic.
e New Yorker
depicted Trump in absurd situations, emphasising the perception of incompetence and lack of leadership.
In any case, both publications underwent similar changes during the period analysed, as they adjusted their visual strategies
to reect current events and public concerns. e tone of the covers became more critical and sombre over time, reecting
growing polarisation and political tension.
Regarding the ideological positioning of
Time
and
e New Yorker
on their covers, their stance is quite clear and is reected
in their visual and thematic approaches. Both magazines take an ideologically critical stand toward Trump, yet they do so in
dierent ways: As previously noted,
Time
tends to use a more symbolic and metaphorical approach, with a tone that ranges
from critical to informative, yet it generally emphasises the negative and controversial aspects of Trump’s presidency. By
contrast,
e New Yorker
takes a more openly critical and satirical approach, using humour and exaggeration to highlight its
criticism and reect an ideological stance that is more clearly opposed to Trump.
As for the time frame and subject matter addressed on these covers, they oer a journey through the key moments of Trump’s
political career, ranging from the milestones that led to his nomination, to the magazine covers regarding his rst presidency,
and to the controversies within his own party. e evolution from initial doubts to the harshest criticism highlights his
entire political career. Overall, the covers of both publications provide a well-dened picture of the public perception and
interpretation of Trump’s presidency by a signicant part of the electorate in the United States. Moreover, the two front pages
show an evolution from initial doubt to extremely sharp criticism.
Clearly, the gure of Donald Trump was the undisputed leader in taking the spotlight on the magazine covers of the sample
analysed, yet an examination of the individuals who accompanied him oers an additional perspective on the political and
social dynamics surrounding his presidency. Personalities such as Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, and other political leaders
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July-December of 2025
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
| 49
played prominent roles on several magazine covers, sometimes even stealing the spotlight from Trump. is dynamic of
accompaniment reects the complex political interactions and international relations that dened his term in oce.
Graphic and stylistic portrayals are other key aspects that distinguish the covers of
Time
and
e New Yorker
. While the
former uses a variety of approaches including photography, illustration and photomontages, the latter is characterised by a
realistic and illustrative style, yet is more metaphorical in its message, leaving aside the informative covers, thereby providing
a signicant contrast between the editorial approaches of the two magazines.
In short, the illustrations and photographs used on these covers present a discourse of criticism toward the politician,
highlighting his controversial actions and statements, and reinforcing the negative perception and social tension surrounding
his presidency. However, it should be noted that although these images are highly critical and satirical of Trump, they also
run the risk of reinforcing polarised opinions, potentially alienating segments of the audience who may interpret the images
dierently. is, in turn, could result in a dual perception, which highlights the complex role of visual rhetoric in political
discourse.
5. Acknowledgments
is article has been translated into English by Charles E. Arthur to whom we are grateful for his work.
is research has been carried out within the framework of the
GIR
[renowned research groups], specically the consolidated
group known as
ICOIDI
[research in communication through image and design], with funding provided by CEU San Pablo
University.
6. Specic contributions of each author
Name and Surname
Conception and design of the workLaura González-Díez
Methodology
Laura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
Data collection and analysisLaura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
Discussion and conclusionsLaura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
Drafting, formatting, version review and approvalLaura González-Díez, María Tabuenca Bengoa and Nuria Navarro Sierra
7. Conict of interest
e authors declare that there is no conict of interest contained in this article.
50 |
nº 41, pp. 21-51
|
July-December of 2025
The image of Donald Trump on the covers of two historic publications:
Time magazine
and
The New Yorker
(2015-2021)
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
doxa.comunicación
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