Just days after a U.S. strike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, TIME magazine unveiled a stark new cover calling it Trump’s War.
The cover shows red caps designed like Trump’s famous MAGA hats. Each hat is labeled with a country – Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Ecuador.
That bold image accompanies a detailed report explaining how President Donald Trump made the decision that pushed the United States into one of the most dangerous conflicts in recent years, and what might come next.
People are already reacting strongly to the cover.
Imperialism just rebranded. The world didn’t vote for this.
— The Compass Report 🧭 (@Compass_Report) March 5, 2026
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
Uhhghhh I work for Time and I don’t understand geopolitics. Uhhhhhhh pic.twitter.com/w5rSSrvimm
— Sampool (@SamEldridge87) March 6, 2026
Such a poor choice of words to call it “Trump’s war.”
— Pooya (@pnnanos) March 5, 2026
He wants to target every country that does business with China
— Faraz Ahmad (@farazakaf) March 5, 2026
Trump campaigned on “no new wars” “wanting the dying to stop” and “on day one I will end all foreign wars”
Total and complete betrayal of MAGA and America First.
We never changed. Trump did.
— Lucy Riles (@LucyRiles) March 6, 2026
All these cap are MADE IN CHINA , trust me
— X tweet (@khanahm01) March 5, 2026
According to TIME, Trump had just arrived at his Mar-a-Lago resort on the night of February 27 when intelligence officials told him they believed they had located Khamenei. The moment came after months of rising tension between Washington and Tehran.
Trump had already been preparing for the possibility of military action. U.S. officials had drawn up plans for a coordinated strike with Israel, while negotiations with Iran in Geneva were moving slowly. Trump grew increasingly convinced that Iran was planning an attack on American or Israeli targets.
“When I heard that,” Trump told TIME, “I said, you know, they’re going to hit first.”
While guests were enjoying a party at Mar-a-Lago, Trump met privately with senior military and intelligence officials. During those discussions, he made the call that would change the course of events.
“We went way early,” Trump said in a phone interview with the magazine. “We were going to do it in another week.”
Within hours, the operation began.
American missiles and drones worked alongside Israeli jets in a massive air campaign that struck military installations across Iran. Missile batteries, naval vessels, air-defense systems, and command centers were among the targets.
The attack killed Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials who were seen as possible successors.
“I’ve killed all their leaders,” Trump told TIME. “That room is gone.”
But the strikes also brought devastating consequences. Reports say more than 150 people were killed when missiles hit a girls’ school in southern Iran. Soon after, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks against U.S. bases and allied territory in the region.
One Iranian drone strike reportedly killed six American service members at a U.S. command center in Kuwait.
Trump acknowledged the risk of further violence.
“I guess,” he said when asked whether Americans should worry about retaliation. “But we think about it all the time. We plan for it. Some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.”
The conflict also marks a clear shift from Trump’s campaign promises. During his rise in politics, he often criticized past presidents for pulling the United States into foreign wars. Since returning to office, his administration has approved military strikes in several countries.
According to TIME, Trump has ordered attacks in 8 nations, including places that had never before been directly targeted by U.S. forces.
In 2025 alone, he approved more individual airstrikes than his predecessor carried out over four years.
Featured image via X screengrab
