Is Time Magazine’s Award A Subtle Portrayal Of Donald Trump As The Devil?

Did Time magazine subtly give President-elect Donald Trump “Person of the Year” only to portray him as the devil?

The president-elect was given the award Wednesday, and the magazine published an alleged shady photo cover of the 70-year old politician. At an initial glance, the future president is shown seated on a throne-like chair with the “M” in TIME nestling above his head, but some people believe it is something more sinister.

According to the Daily Mail, many have come out to say that Mr. Trump was being portrayed as the devil and not arguably the most powerful leader of the free world. Other critics have likened the blue-collar billionaire’s photo to Hitler with the dimly-lit setting and vague throne-like chair.

Hitler was Person of the Year in 1938, and theories have been flying about that Trump’s cover bears a striking resemblance to the Nazi dictator. Hitler’s 1938 cover drawn by Rudolph Von Ripper encapsulated him in a black and white illustration from a back view. A theorist tweeted that the similarity was too close for comfort.

https://twitter.com/Imafolkdancer/status/806877483291115520

“Interesting how @ Time put Hitler and Trump in similar chairs and positions, back-to-back. Intentional I’m sure.”

The businessman is not the first person to get the devilish horn treatment from the magazine. Last year, Time came under an avalanche of criticism after using Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the same way under the caption “The Clinton Way.” Her husband also had the “M” on top of his head on a previous “Person of the Year” cover.

Time has historically given the Person of the Year title to a president-elect or incumbent each election year. President Obama won the award after his elections in 2008 and 2012. Republican President George W. Bush got the esteemed prize in 2000 and 2004. Bill Clinton bagged the honor in 1992 and shared it with Ken Starr, the investigative lawyer who facilitated the move for his impeachment in 1998.

In 2015, the magazine came out to debunk all claims that they were trying to send any message by using the “M” on its cover.

“Any semblance to cats, bats or devil horns is entirely coincidental.”

People are accusing TIME Magazine of giving Donald Trump devil horns! Do you see it? pic.twitter.com/EvxHzSv7aj

— 98 COOL fm (@98COOLfm) December 8, 2016

However, many people are from convinced, believing that Time took a jibe at the president-elect because of his many controversies and for pushing an agenda that Time claimed divided the American people rather than bringing them together. In an August 22 issue, the publication had Trump’s face on its cover and captioned it “Meltdown.” In October, Time had another Trump cover, with a subheading reading “Total Meltdown.”

One person tweeted that it was really petty for the iconic magazine to use devil horns on the head of the 45th president of the United States.

“Wow Time Magazine is really as petty as it gets…You can’t tell me that those devil horns on Trump’s head were an accident.”

Another tweet, obviously not from a Trump supporter, lauded the effort by the publication, hailing Time as the magazine of the year because of their portrayal of the Manhattan billionaire.

“Donald Trump may have won Person of the year, but Time wins Magazine of the year for using the “M” to give him devil horns.”

Time began doling out the Person of the Year honor in 1927; the award is given to a person who has influenced world events either in a good or bad way. German Chancellor Angela Merkel won the prize last year. Nancy Gibbs, editor-in-chief said giving Mr. Trump the award was the easiest decision ever made, citing that the billionaire’s unconventional approach to the White House made it a no brainer.

This is the second time in a row that Mr. Trump would make the final list for the award. In an interview, he said it was a great honor to be Person of the Year, but kicked back at the tag of being “president of the divided states of America.”

Donald Trump is Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2016 https://t.co/VMamIzlMkx

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 7, 2016

“To be on the cover of Time as Person of the Year is a tremendous honor. I think putting divided is snarky. But again it’s divided, I’m not president yet. I didn’t do anything to divide. There’s a lot of division. We’re going to put it back together.”

According to Time, the Person of the Year shortlist was made up of 11 nominations. Some of the nominees were Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Nigel Farage, the face of the Brexit revolution, superstar Beyoncé Knowles, four-time gold medalist Simone Biles, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Hillary Clinton.

[Featured Image by Michael Snyder/AP Images]