President Trump attacked Time magazine on Friday, saying he had no idea it was still in business, after the journal featured a photograph of Elon Musk seated at the Resolute Desk on its cover.

A reporter asked Trump about his reaction to the Time cover, which showed Musk seated in the president’s chair. The cover article, titled “Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington,” comes as critics of President Trump claim Musk wields too much influence as the chairman of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. “Is Time Magazine still in business?” Trump added, “I didn’t even know that,” as laughter filled the room.

“Elon is doing an excellent job.” He’s uncovering massive fraud, corruption, and waste. You see it with USAID, but you’ll see it even more with other agencies and branches of government. “He has a fantastic staff,” Trump remarked. “He’s wanted to be able to do this for a long time.”

Musk has targeted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in his efforts to cut federal spending. Trump expressed satisfaction with the work made and stated that DOGE will have an impact on other government departments.

“The entire thing is a hoax. Very little is being put to good use. Every single line that I look at, in terms of events and transactions, is either corrupt or ludicrous, and we’re going to do it throughout the government, and I believe we’ll be very near to balancing budgets for the first time in many years,” Trump added. “He’s doing a very good job,” Trump said. “I’m very happy with it.” Trump was voted Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2024. Last month, the magazine’s cover showed Trump wiping former President Biden’s things from the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk, with the caption “He’s Back.”

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