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No, Time magazine cover does not call Trump worst president ever
There is no Time magazine cover featuring President Donald Trump with the text "Worst. President. Ever." This cover you may have seen going around Facebook isn't real.
The fake cover has a close-up portrait of Trump, with the special effect of his profile morphing into a skull. Below the magazine’s iconic red logo are large white letters that say "Worst. President. Ever." The subhead says: "How DONALD TRUMP" has disgraced the highest office in the nation," with more name-calling thrown in.
Time has featured Trump on its cover several times before and after his presidential victory. But there is no record of this cover in Time’s vault.
As our fact-checking friends at Snopes noted, the fake cover has been circulating on social media since at least November 2017. The "worst" president cover has a fabricated twin with a counter message about Trump: "Best. President. Ever."
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Earlier this year, the weekly magazine published an online post about Trump’s many cover stories.
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"Since launching his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has appeared on more than a dozen TIME magazine covers," Time’s post said. "He has been depicted in multiple stages of meltdown, standing beside his election opponent and an unstable Washington monument, speaking behind a podium on the campaign trail and at his inauguration."
Time has featured Trump on its covers in unflattering ways. But he hasn’t been on a cover with the text "Worst. President. Ever." That’s a made-up claim making the rounds on Facebook.
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Our Sources
Facebook post on Trump Time magazine cover, Dec. 20, 2018
Snopes.com, Was Trump Labeled ‘Best President’ or ‘Worst President’ on a ‘Time’ Cover?, April 25, 2018
TIME, The Vault
TIME, Here Are All the TIME Covers Featuring Donald Trump Since the Start of His Presidential Campaign, Updated: Aug. 23, 2018, originally published: Jan. 11, 2018
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No, Time magazine cover does not call Trump worst president ever
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