WASHINGTON, D.C. (WFLA) A photo illustration posted by TIME Magazine has caused an uproar in the name of politics.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is seen perched behind President Donald Trump’s desk in the Oval Office in their latest cover.

In the photo posted by TIME on Friday, the magazine titled the cover, “Inside Elon Musk’s war on Washington.” TIME acknowledges the billionaire’s infiltration into the White House, saying in part that his involvement is part of “reshaping America’s government.”

Their article adds that Musk’s involvement is “just the first ripples in a massive antigovernment wave” and that “millions of government workers find themselves at Musk’s mercy.”

The cover is dated Feb. 24, 2025, and places Musk at the center of the Resolute Desk, between an American and presidential flag placed behind him, as he grasps a coffee cup in his left hand.

In a two-paragraph caption, the publication wrote:

The standoff at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue was not much of a spectacle. On the first day of February, a handful of men working for Elon Musk had come to the U.S. Agency for International Development, a few blocks away from the White House, demanding full access to its headquarters. The agency’s staff refused.

No guns were drawn. No punches thrown. Nobody involved the police. But in these early days of the Trump Administration, perhaps no other scene revealed more clearly the forces reshaping America’s government. Read more about Musk’s war on Washington at the link in bio.

TIME Magazine

The magazine, widely known for its annual TIME’s Person of the Year, was flooded with comments on their controversial post, with many Americans frustrated with his involvement.

“Funny,” one user wrote, “I don’t remember Elon Musk’s name being anywhere on my ballot back in November.” Another said in part, “Who is that Trump guy anyway? Obviously he’s Musk’s puppet.”

In 2024, TIME Magazine named Donald Trump Person of the Year, blasting his face and political rebirth all over the covers of magazines and their social media, calling him the “world’s most powerful man,” in their Person of the Year article.

The article added that Trump “risks tearing down the constitutional norms and institutions that have seen America’s great experiment in democracy though 2 1/2 centuries.”

WFLA.com has reached out to TIME for comment.