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One year as president: Donald Trump as cover boy

Torsten Landsberg als
January 19, 2018

During Donald Trump's first year in office, editors and illustrators have let their creativity run wild, inspiring more than a few cartoons. Here's a selection of some the best covers depicting the president.

Time Magazine Cover Donald Trump
Image: Reuters/Time Magazine

Much to the surprise of most political observers, the real estate magnate, loudmouth and all-around posturer Trump had won the election for the Republicans in November 2016. Following that shock, many people hoped he would tone down both his speech and his behavior once he took office after both dividing his party and then attacking his opponent Hillary Clinton.

By January 20, 2017, when Donald Trump was inaugurated as President, t​​​he initial shock had slightly dissipated, but his antics never ceased to shock and surprise. 

Read more: Martin Luther King Jr.'s children condemn Trump for 's***hole' remarks

No hope for moderation

Reality trumped hope on Inauguration Day. Following the inauguration in front of the Capitol, Trump gave a speech that dispelled any doubt about what he and his followers had in store for the next four years. It was a battle cry against his opponents, headlined with "America First."

Even the festivities surrounding the inauguration became material for continued feuding between the media and the Twitter-addicted president, who took over the user name @potus (short for "President of the United States") which his predecessor Barack Obama had developed, all while keeping his private Twitter account. 

Trump on the cover of a Chinese magazineImage: Getty Images/AFP/G. Baker

Trump accused those who criticized him of reporting "fake news." That attitude took on bizarre dimensions. Just after taking office, he insisted that never in the history of the country had so many people attended the inauguration of a president as his own. To confirm it, his staff presented information that was proved to be false, but which they called "alternative facts." 

For serious journalists and satirists alike, Trump's term as president has proved to be a challenge. What jokes can still be made when the protagonist has made himself a perpetual laughing stock? 

Read more: 'America First,' but which European country is second? Parody videos make their pitch to Trump

A real challenge

Still, illustrators, editors and reporters have found a way of addressing the unique features of the moody, cowboy-like US president — varying from the subtle to the bawdy.

View our picture gallery to see how they have used magazine covers to depict his first year in office.

 

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