The Real Power? Time Features Elon Musk Behind Oval Office Desk

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – A new Time magazine cover features billionaire Elon Musk seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, mirroring the authority of a U.S. president. The cover accompanies a story titled “Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington,” which details his aggressive push for sweeping government reforms.

Musk, now leading Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has placed thousands of employees on administrative leave, initiated buyout without being clear where the money is going to come from and had employees sleep in at least one government building, according to reports.

The imagery on Time’s cover is striking, author and producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” Steve Benen wrote in MSNBC, drawing comparisons to a similar moment in 2017 when the magazine featured Steve Bannon, then Trump’s chief strategist. The headline in the magazine then was, “Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?”—a portrayal that reportedly irked Trump.

According to The New York Times, Trump “quietly expressed annoyance” at Bannon’s growing influence and the media’s “President Bannon” narrative. “His frustration was particularly fueled by the Time cover, as he has long valued the magazine’s cover images. (At one point, Trump even displayed a fake Time magazine cover featuring himself in at least five of his properties.),” Benen wrote pointing out that Steve Banon was soon ousted from his role.

The latest Time cover, depicting Musk in a similar position of power, is anything but subtle. It reinforces Musk’s growing presence in the Trump administration and fuels speculation about how much influence he truly wields in Washington.