Trump, The Cover
Editor's Note: This seems appropriate....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5meGDQsM0UU
Is it possible that there are more magazine covers this year with Donald J. Trump on the cover than say, Taylor Swift? Heck yes! Have I managed to count them all? Well, no. I had to stop after a while. It would have been a really interesting exercise trying to count them all*. However it is planning season and spending all that time on Google is something I politely call a "Non-Revenue Generating Activity."
So, no. I don't have proof that there are more Trump covers than Swift covers, but go look at a newsstand and tell me what you think.
Of course the newsweeklies, business mags and culture pubs are the ones having the most fun with the mercurial Republican candidate as a cover story. Below are a collection of some of the ones I've found over the course of the year.
Here's a few from Time Magazine.
I'm a fan of illustrated covers so my favorite is the one from August 22nd.
Newsweek Magazine, which no longer tries to follow in Time's shoes went with a more straightforward, head-on approach.
The current iteration of Newsweek retains the white on red logo but adds a small "folder tab" on the bottom right for the issue date. It's an interesting add-on and I think it works to both preserve the original brand ID and set the new version apart. Other than the white on red, there is nothing else about the "new" Newsweek that resembles it's predecessor as far as I am concerned (It's a much better magazine). For the record, Trump has been on many Newsweek covers over the years. Here's one from 1990 when he was having some trouble with his real estate companies:
So the hair style hasn't changed much.
Meanwhile, The Economist yet again shows us that British humor and intellect always arrives with an arched eyebrow.
Apparently so.
Meanwhile, The New Yorker, the sophisticated tongue in cheek publication from Trump's hometown has had great fun mocking the developer turned presidential candidate in a series of off-beat covers.
Across the island, New York Magazine, which avoids illustrated covers went with a more posed picture of Trump during it's expose on how his campaign operates.
That is some seriously huge manspread.
Years ago, John F. Kennedy, Jr. identified the intersection between politics and entertainment and launched George Magazine. In fact, you may remember that back in 2000 Trump flirted with the idea of running for president and this was covered in the February/March issue of the magazine.
So apparently we have seen this before.
It is fitting, then, that this year The Hollywood Reporter got into the act in June with their own Trump cover.
Will Hollywood support Trump?
To show how politics has become entertainment, the newsstand champ, People Magazine asked "Who is the Real Donald Trump?" in their April cover.
It's a little late to ask that question now.
In the end, what all these magazine covers have in common is their immediacy. They're on topic and address something that is important to their audiences. They approach their main cover topic (Trump) with respect and understanding of their audience. The New Yorker, for example, always has a pointed, sarcastic spin on the city and their cover topic.
Back in June, I announced what I thought were the five most egregious covers to date for 2016. Coming in at number four was this cover.
Sorry, Melania
To my mind, Melania Trump can certainly stand alone on the cover of a luxury magazine. Having Trump lurking in the background strikes me as a bit creepy.
So what Trump covers have I missed from this year? What do you like or dislike about them?
*For the record, I should probably pick up the phone and call the nice folks down at MagNet and ask them if they have the count. Chances are they probably do.