Trump mocks Time magazine, suggests he didn’t know it was ‘still in business,’ in response to Elon Musk cover

President Trump mocked Time magazine on Friday, saying he didn’t even know it was still in business, after the publication used an image of Elon Musk sitting at the Resolute Desk on its cover. 

A reporter asked Trump for his reaction to the Time cover, which features Musk sitting in the president’s chair. The cover story headlined, "Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington," comes as critics of President Trump have suggested Musk has too much power as he’s tasked with leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

"Is Time magazine still in business? I didn't even know that," Trump said as laughter could be heard in the room. 

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President Trump mocked Time magazine on Friday. (Evan Vucci/AP)

"Elon is doing a great job. He's finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. You see it with the USAID, but you're going to see it even more so with other agencies and other parts of government. He's got a staff that's fantastic," Trump added. "He's wanted to be able to do this for a long time."

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Musk has gone after the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) when cracking down on government spending. Trump said he is pleased with the progress and said other government agencies will also be impacted by DOGE. 

"The whole thing is a fraud. Very little being put to good use. Every single line that I look at, in terms of events and transactions, is either corrupt or ridiculous and we're going to be doing that throughout government, and I think we're going to be very close to balancing budgets for the first time in many years," Trump said. 

"He's doing a very good job," Trump continued. "I'm very happy with it."

Trump was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2024. Last month, the magazine’s cover featured Trump wiping former President Biden’s items off the Oval Office the Resolute Desk with the headline, "He’s Back."

Time did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. 

Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @briansflood.